


To Become a Father

by Onlyafraidoffear



Series: Rebecca Arcana [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: 5 + 1, Artsy!Cana, Cana is a nickname, Cana plays the piano, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Gildarts is a Good Dad, Messy Divorce, Overprotective Father, Read the before-chapter warnings, Seriously read the warnings, relationship troubles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 70
Words: 175,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24007699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlyafraidoffear/pseuds/Onlyafraidoffear
Summary: All the ways Gildarts never found out he was a father, and the one way he should have.
Relationships: Cana Alberona & Gildarts Clive, Cornelia Alberona/Gildarts Clive
Series: Rebecca Arcana [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731493
Comments: 81
Kudos: 99





	1. Last Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts hears Cana's last name for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, he never recognized his ex-wife's last name?

It was very amusing to see all the kids covered in mud, paint, food, and what was probably blood, all lined up and completely unrepentant as Master walked up and down the line yelling at them individually and collectively for their parts in the disaster. Gildarts was having a blast watching this whole train wreck from start to finish- and this part was no exception.

"-what in the name of all that is holy possessed you to do _that_ in _ **public**_ Gray Fullbuster? I would expect this from Natsu- "

Wow, Master was really letting them have it this time. Well, to be fair those kids had caused _a lot_ of property damage in the span of ten minutes, and Erza had nearly run that poor fool through (though how she had managed that was a mystery- those were pool noodles!)- actually maybe they were getting off lightly.

"-setting the wig on fire- don't you dare try to pretend it wasn't on purpose- "

Heh. That part had been particularly hilarious, especially when the chainsaw had-

"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE EXCUSES LISANNA STRAUS! EVEN IF HE INSULTED HAPPY- "

The blue cat in question was currently hiding his face into Natsu's neck. That Lisanna had gotten involved wasn't the weird part- Mirajane frequently dragged her siblings into whatever fight was going down- but _Lisanna_ had been the one to start this whole fiasco…

"And Elfman- what possessed you to steal the cake?! It was for that woman's ninetieth birthday!"

The white-haired boy shrank back from the guildmaster's ire- frosting smeared all over his mouth. He seemed to be the only one showing remorse out of the lot of them. Dang, Gildarts wished he had some popcorn to go with this show, oh well it was almost over anyway, the only one left to yell at was-

"And out of all of you brats, you are the one I expect better from, Cana Alberona- "

The strongest mage in Fiore was suddenly choking on his own spit. 'Alberona'… that… that brought back memories of the most incredible woman he had ever known- huh now that he thought about it Cana even looked like her. He'd never heard the girl's last name before, wonder if she and Conny were related? It couldn't be that common of a surname.

Cornelia… God he missed her. He missed her laugh and how it had always reminded him of bubbles, how she always smelled like cinnamon for no particular reason, the glint in her eyes whenever she was angry. She had been angry a lot towards the end. Maybe… maybe it was time to stop being such a god damned coward and go after her, even if she wanted nothing to do with him, at least he would be able to see her again.

oOOOOo

This wasn't real. This- this couldn't be real. Conny couldn't be gone! This had to be someone with the same name- it had to be! She couldn't be gone!

But the gravestone was real, that was her name, and that was the day she was born.

…This wasn't the way he had expected this to end. He had expected to be slapped, had tentatively hoped for a hug, and had fantasized about a kiss. He had thought that maybe she would have moved on, maybe she would have a dog, or that she might have finally gotten that horse she always wanted. What he found was something out of his worst nightmare.

Later on, he found himself at the local bar just wanting to make the whole world disappear for a few hours. He could pick up the pieces of his life in the morning, but right now the most magnificent person he had ever known, his wife, was dead and had been gone for a while now.

The bartender was a good man, had taken one look at him and had left the bottle of whiskey beside him. Later when Gildarts finally broke down towards the end of the night he had sat and listened, what Gildarts hadn't been expecting was the information he had received.

It seemed like his Conny had been well known and loved throughout this little town- though that altogether hadn't been much of a surprise. Cornelia had been the kind of person who would give you the shirt off her back and then give you a home cooked meal just because. Your cat died? She was there with a shoulder to cry on and a basket of kittens. A storm blew a branch through your roof? She was there bright and early with some wood, tools, and a bucket of nails.

Apparently, time and a breakup hadn't changed that. The bartender remembered one day, a few months after she had moved to the area, someone had vandalized a local monument- she had showed up with soap, water, and a rag; she had spent the entire day cleaning it up.

"-really surprised about it too. I mean she was looking like that baby was gonna come out any second- "

"Baby?" Gildarts said dumbly- had he heard that right? The other man looked up at the distraction.

"Huh? Oh yeah, she was like eight or nine months pregnant at the time. Really stunned everyone that she was willing to do that. 'Course little Cana turned out great- always with her Mama helping out no matter what was going on."

What-baby-Cana-what?! Did he actually say what he thought he'd just said?

"Poor thing though, after her Mama died little thing was all alone- had some crazy magic though, wound up joining Fairy Tail, can you believe that- said she was going to make everybody proud. She still comes by every couple months to visit her Mama's grave and check in with everybody."

Cana was Conny's- Cana was _**his**_ -

Oh, dear God. The crash mage couldn't say what happened after that, how he had gotten back to Conny's grave- just that when he finally came to the sun was rising.

Conny was dead. Conny had been dead for five years now. Conny had had a baby eleven years ago. A baby named Cana. That baby had later gone on to join Fairy Tail. He knew a Cana in the guild who was eleven years old. Conny had left him twelve years ago- he could do the math. He had a daughter. Cana was his daughter.

He had to get back to Fairy Tail- this changed everything. He had missed so damn much being the workaholic that he was- he be damned if he would miss anything else.

oOOOOo

Five days, it had taken five days for him to make it back to Magnolia. Five day of him trying to figure out what he was going to say. He had accidentally destroyed a forest while trying to come to terms with everything.

He barely knew anything about Cana.

He assumed that she lived in the girls dorm- but he didn't know for sure. He knew that she was shy and never instigated trouble (where had she gotten that from- that certainly hadn't come from either him or Conny!). She practiced card magic- but did she use anything else? What was her favorite color? When was her birthday? Did she even want a dad?

No, don't even go there. First things first, he needed to tell her the truth and hope she didn't hate him for not going after her mom.

Damn, he actually remembered meeting her for the first time. She had been so adorable! Such a little bitty thing! With huge eyes and such an incredible smile! Huh, wonder what happened to the puppy she'd had with her?

Didn't matter, he just needed to see her and hold her and tell her that he wasn't going to leave her again. For better or worse she was stuck with him now.

Okay, time to take a deep breath, he had made it. He needed to calm down or he would wind up destroying the entire guildhall. Speaking of- in the whole crowd of guild members drinking, cheering, and having a nice time, he couldn't see the little brunette.

"Gildarts- this is a surprise, its only been what, a month this time?" Makarov asked raising an eyebrow at the Ace- he usually was gone for three months minimum.

"Yeah, its… it's," the crash mage frustratedly ran his hands through his hair, "Master- do you know where Cana is?"

"Cana?" Makarov asked, genuinely surprised," Why? What's wrong?"

"I-I found out something about her mom- she- I just need to see her Master."

Makarov looked the crash mage up and down, taking in just how troubled he seemed, whatever the other man had found out it was _big_ ," She's on a job, but she should be back by this afternoon."

The redhead let out an exhale- so he had a couple hours before the big conversation. Alright, at least he had a bit longer to figure out what he was going to say.

"GILDARTS- FIGHT ME!"

A quick backhand had Natsu flying into the wall, he loved the kid, he really did, but right now he was so not in the mood.

He got odd looks from everyone else the rest of the day as he waited anxiously for Cana to get back. He was dearly wishing for a drink- but the idea of being drunk during a conversation as important as this made him feel nauseous. He wanted Cana to let him be part of her life, maybe even to call him 'dad' if she felt comfortable enough with it (it hurt a little that he was never hear her call him 'daddy', but that would probably be asking too much).

Then the girl of the hour finally appeared a little after two in the afternoon. He had never really looked at her before, had never felt the need to as ashamed as he was of that. She was so beautiful. Cana was definitely her mother's daughter.

Gildarts stood and walked over to where Cana was giving Master a rundown on how the job had gone. Both turned when they heard him approach, Cana staring up at him in surprise and a little bit of awe.

"Hey, do you think we could talk for a minute Cana- its… its important."

The little girl blinked, looked between Makarov and Gildarts, before pointing to herself to confirm that it was her the crash mage was referring to. As adorable as it was, it made him feel even worse.

"Yeah Cana you," he teased lightly, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Why don't you two go up to the second floor," the minuscule guild master offered, surprising both of them, he was usually pretty strict about the second floor, the girl looked alarmed- if he was offering it then something had to be up.

"Is everything okay?" She asked cautiously, and suddenly Gildarts saw a miniature Cornelia standing right in front of him.

"I-I-let's just talk," he said lamely, gesturing to the stairs as the two headed up. The rest of the guild stared in open curiosity; this wasn't the kind of conversation he wanted an audience for, but at least no one was trying to eavesdrop (as far as he could tell). He moved the two of them into a position where no one downstairs could see easily.

"What's going on Gildarts?" The violet eyed brunette asked directly.

Suddenly his tongue was made out of lead, he had no idea how to do this. He must have had a deer in the headlights look as Cana awkwardly asked," Um, do you want to do this later?"

"No!" He blurted out, if he waited then he would probably never do it, "I'm your father."

Cana just stopped and stared at him for a moment as he quickly tried to get the story out before he lost his nerve," You see Conny- your mom- and I used to be married, but, well, things fell apart. I swear I never knew about you. I-I just found out that she's gone, and I found out about you and- well you needed to know! I-I'm not exactly 'dad' material-but, I want to try. "

The Ace couldn't breathe, it was out in the open now, all he could do was wait for her reaction.

She started crying.

Gildarts had never been good with crying women, never, and now when it was his own daughter's tears he floundered instantly.

"H-hey p-please stop crying! I know that this has got to be really confusing for you-"he was cut off by ninety pounds of preteen slamming into him wrapping her small arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could, burying her face into his chest. Gildarts started for a second, before quickly wrapping his own arms around her for the first time.

This… this was nice.

Gildarts had no idea how long they stayed like that, but Cana mumbled something into his chest.

"What was that- I didn't hear," he had almost called her 'sweetheart', for all he knew that could be a deal breaker.

She said a bit louder," I already knew."

Wait, what?

Gildarts carefully pushed her back, getting down on his knees so he could look her in the eyes," What do you mean Cana?" If she meant what he thought she meant-

"I already knew you were my dad… Mama told me about you before she died and where to find you… that's why I joined Fairy Tail." The teared brunette admitted.

"Why- why didn't you say anything?" He asked incredulously- things could have been so different!

"I tried," she said quietly," But every time something happened, and I just couldn't get the words out."

Suddenly he remembered it all to clearly, the little darling trying to tell him something, but constantly getting interrupted. He pulled Cana back to him, trying to convey every emotion he was feeling into the hug. She must have been so lonely.

"Its okay now, I'm right here and I'm never going to leave you again Cana. I'm never going to let you feel sad again."

"Can- can I call you 'dad'," she asked shyly, not sure how he would take it.

Gildarts almost started crying," Of course you can- you can come live with me if you want. We can be a family."

Cana started crying again, then he started crying, and then they were both blubbering like fools.

There was going to be some adjustment because he didn't know how to be a dad and they were virtually strangers to each other, but they would figure all that out later. Right now they were just going to enjoy the moment.


	2. Sing Me a Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cana displays other talents beyond drinking and Gildarts puts the pieces together.  
> When Cana plays a song that her mother taught her once, she wasn't expecting Gildarts to join in. Gildarts hasn't heard that song in eighteen years, why does Cana know it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In coming up with all of these, this one was one of my favorites. I personally have the headcannon that Cana is very artsy (music, dance, etc.), there's just a lot more to her than just an alcoholic who reads fortunes. What can I say, she's my favorite character and a badass in her own right.

Cana could play the piano- who knew?

Lucy felt horrible for thinking it, but she had thought that all Cana did outside of jobs was drink and read fortunes (she also was the guild's main bookie, but Lucy tried to stay out of that). Accept, Cana apparently was a pretty damn talented player, if the sound of the piece she was playing was anything to go by.

"You're really good Cana!" The blonde praised," This is really pretty- what's it called?" She asked the brunette.

Cana blushed lightly at the praise before answering," It's called _For the Dancing and the Dreaming_ its an old wedding song. It was one of the first things I learned how to play."

"Does it have any words?"

"Yeah, it does but I'm not so good at singing," Cana said sheepishly, her fingers continuing to play even as she was distracted by Lucy.

"Oh, come on- you can't be that bad- just sing a little bit!"

"No, its almost done anyway," Cana said, and indeed even Lucy could tell that the song was winding down to its last few bars, but the blonde would not be deterred.

"Well then play another song. I really want to hear you sing now," Lucy teased, enjoying the blush on the alcoholic's face- finally a little payback after everything the other girl had put her through (which admittedly wasn't half as much as Natsu and Happy, but still!)!

Cana sighed slightly before nodding, "Okay, but just one."

Lucy got comfortable on the bench nearest to the piano (where had that thing even come from? She would swear it had never been there before), noticing that the brunette had gathered a small crowd, made up of the people who weren't off on solo jobs (seriously, what was up with that? She nearly got trampled by the job request stampede!).

The brunette paused for a few minutes, seemingly lost in thought, but just as Lucy was beginning to think that she wasn't going to do it, the other girl put her fingers to the keys and started playing.

It was a light song, almost like a lullaby at first, it was a few seconds before Cana opened her mouth and started singing.

_I close my eyes and I can see_

_A world that's waiting up for me_

_That I call my own_

_Through the dark, through the door_

_Through where no one's been before_

_But it feels like home_

_They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy_

_They can say, they can say I've lost my mind_

_I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy_

_We can live in a world that we design_

Lucy was impressed, Cana may not have been as good as Lyra (who was really) or Mirajane, but she definitely had talent. She sang the lyrics with so much emotion, a sense of hope and pure joy that Lucy had honestly never heard from her before- the blonde wondered what Cana was thinking about as she sang.

' _Cause every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all its gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

The card mage was picking up the pace, speeding the song up just enough to be noticeable, a bright smile on her face, but just as she opened her mouth for the next line, someone else beat her to it.

_Theres a house we can build_

_Every room inside is filled_

_With things from far away_

Everybody jerked their heads in the direction of the deep baritone, Cana included though she did not lose pace of the song. There was a collective blink of surprise when they realized that it was Gildarts singing along, his eyes closed as he sang, a soft smile on his face.

_The special things I compile_

_Each one there to make you smile_

_On a rainy day_

Cana, it seemed, had quickly recovered from her surprise and joined in on the chorus- the two voices complimenting each other nicely in an impromptu duet.

_They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy_

_They can say, they can say we've lost our minds_

_I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy_

_Runaway to a world that we design_

_Every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all its gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

The two of them created an atmosphere of just pure happiness, Lucy almost wanted to dance like a child just to join in on the feeling.

_However big, however small_

_Let me be part of it all_

_Share your dreams with me_

_You may be right, you may be wrong_

_But say that you'll bring me along_

_To the world you see_

_To the world I close my eyes to see_

_I close my eyes to see_

' _Cause every night I lie in bed_

_The brightest colors fill my head_

_A million dreams are keeping me awake_

_A million dreams, a million dreams_

_I think of what the world could be_

_A vision of the one I see_

_A million dreams is all its gonna take_

_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

_For the world we're gonna make_

As the two of them let the last word end and Cana played the final notes of the song, the entire guildhall erupted in applause. Lucy was dumbfounded, who would have thought that Gildarts of all people would know the words to the song Cana was playing?

The blonde ran up and hugged the blushing card mage, dragging her back to the table.

"That was amazing! You two sounded great together!" Lucy praised.

Cana seemed slightly stunned," Yeah… really didn't see that one coming!"

"Who taught you that song?"

At the interjection both girls turned to face the Ace, who seemed oddly emotional. Cana answered hesitantly," My mother taught it to me. She used to sing it all the time when I was little- it was the only song that would get me to sleep, it made me happy when I was sad, and now it just helps me feel closer to her." The brunettes face was tinged pink as she answered the Ace.

Gildarts just stopped and stared at Cana for an awkward amount of time. Cana didn't seem to know what to say about the scrutiny, as she squirmed slightly under his gaze.

"How did you know the words Gildarts?" Lucy asked in an effort to break the uncomfortable silence, though she was curious. She had never heard that song before, and it seemed so deeply personal to Cana that Lucy wondered how the crash mage knew it.

The red headed man rudded the back of his with his hand," I learned the words so long ago it feels like another lifetime now. Well, excuse me ladies, I think I'm going to head home- have a nice night." He waved over his shoulder as he walked away.

Lucy blinked at his abrupt departure before turning to the card mage, only to find Cana with a troubled look on her face as she watched Gildarts walk away. Before the blonde could say anything the brunette quickly said her goodbyes and also headed home for the night. Lucy remained on the bench- what had that been about?

oOOOOo

Gildarts walked home on autopilot, just replaying the events over and over in his mind.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

He had written that song with Cornelia not to long after they had started dating. It had been raining cats and dogs outside and the two of them had been stuck inside a rundown old pub- to pass the time they had messed around with an old piano that looked like it had been pulled out of a war zone (to this day he still swore the thing had bullet holes in it- Conny hadn't believed him). They had spent hours laughing like idiots as they put it together. Him chiming in with lyrics and her writing the music- he'd been afraid of destroying the damn piano if he tried to touch it (besides Conny was the only one who knew how to play).

He remembered when they'd finished it. He had looked at her and she had just been so vibrant, and her eyes had sparkled in the light- that was the moment he'd realized that he'd fallen in love.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

They sang that song when they were happy, they sang it when they were sad. He hadn't sung it since she had left. He hadn't sung it since she had left, since everything had fallen to pieces and he lost the best damn thing in his life.

Mechanically he stepped into his house, kicking the dirt off his boots as he entered.

He hadn't gone after her. He had stayed put in the shattered remains of the life they had built together and let her walk away. Then he'd done what he was good at- he ran away. He buried himself in his work to try and forget about what he'd lost. Not going after her was the biggest mistake of his life, and he'd hate himself for it until the day he died.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

There was no way, he had noticed a resemblance before then, but when he'd actually _looked_ at Cana in the guildhall-

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

He went to the nightstand by his bed- he hadn't opened the drawer in years. He pulled out the only picture of Cornelia he had. A face that he'd once known so well- a face that he'd seen just a few hours before.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

Cana was what- seventeen, eighteen? He remembered when she'd first come to the guild, she'd been such a sweet little thing.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

Cana knew the song, she knew how to play it, she knew how to sing it. Other than him, only Conny had known how, and Conny had been gone for eighteen years, seven months, and twenty-three days. He'd found out that the love of his life had died ten years, two months, and eighteen days ago.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

He was reaching, he had to be. There was no way the story he was building in his head could be true. _**But what if it was?**_

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

If it was then everything had changed.

oOOOOo

"I'm sorry- you want to what?" Makarov asked in confusion as he stared at the Ace. The last person he had expected to see at the guild so early was Gildarts, and his request-

"I need to see Cana's file." Gildarts repeated to the bewildered guild master. He hadn't slept at all during the night, the possibilities chasing him awake.

"Why?" The shorter man asked in confusion, Gildarts had never been interested in Cana before- in fact he couldn't remember them ever interacting before the song performance they had put on the night before.

"I-I can't really explain," Gildarts said, frustratedly running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time.

"Gildarts I can't just hand out files- "

"Master _please_."

That made Makarov stop dead in his tracks. Gildarts wasn't the type to beg- and the man looked like he was more than prepared to get down on his knees if he had to. Whatever was going on was important to the other man.

"… let me go get it."

Gildarts nearly collapsed in relief and as soon as he was handed the folder, he headed up to the second floor (so different since the remodel), laid it out on a table and sat down. For a moment he just stared.

The contents of the manila folder had the potential to change _**everything**_. Hesitantly he reached forward and opened it.

The first thing he saw was a name.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

It seemed like 'Cana' was a nickname.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

Somewhere off in the distance he heard a playful jab. _"Gildarts! Rebecca is the name of a spoiled little priss! 'Arcana'- now that is pretty_ _ **and**_ _mysterious"._

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

" _Hi, my name is Cornelia Alberona, I can't wait to work with you!"_

Rebecca Arcana Alberona, age eighteen, born in the year 766, exactly seven months and 13 days after Conny had left and he had been too cowardly to stop her.

Conny had a stomach bug a few weeks before…

Rebecca Arcana Alberona, daughter of Cornelia Alberona-deceased- and father unlisted.

' _My mother taught it to me.'_

He was right- opening the folder had changed everything.

oOOOOo

He was a father.

That sounded so bizarre. Him, a father. But it was true.

He had an eighteen-year-old daughter named Rebecca Arcana Alberona, who went by 'Cana' so much that he was fairly certain that he hadn't been the only one ignorant to her real name (he hoped not anyway).

He had a beautiful, intelligent daughter who could drink anyone under the table, was strong enough to have qualified for the S-class trials four times (and didn't that make him feel so damn proud?). He'd had his child right under his nose for twelve years and he had never realized it.

He had missed everything. Her birth, her first word, her first steps- he hadn't been there to teach her how to use magic or how to read. When had she lost her first tooth? What was the name of her favorite toy when she was little? Hell, what had happened to the puppy he'd seen with her the first time they had met?

He pushed himself up from his position against the wall- he had to go get her. He had to tell her, he had to beg for forgiveness for leaving her alone- and he had to pray that she would be willing to let him be a part of her life.

Gildarts had lost eighteen years- he'd be damned if he lost another minute longer than necessary.

oOOOOo

Fairy Hills. She lived at Fairy Hills- well at least he didn't have to worry about her safety in her home (she should've lived with him all this time!). The place's anti-male wards were pretty infamous among the peeping toms of the guild (she barely wore any clothes- oh god how many people did he have to murder?).

Gildarts impatiently knocked on the door to the building- that being the only place men were allowed. He probably looked crazy right now, frantically knocking on the door to the girls-only dorm at the crack of dawn. But he _needed_ to see her, he _needed_ to hold her.

The door opened and he barely avoided clocking Erza right in the face- that would have been unpleasant for both of them (mostly him). The red head looked him up and down, clearly questioning his sanity (so was he to be honest).

"Can I help you Gildarts?" She asked levelly, clearly deciding to hear him out.

"Is Cana here?" The Ace blurted out.

The scarlet haired woman was obviously confused, but she nodded, "She is- what is this about?"

"I-I need to see her, its- its important." Because this whole screwed up mess of a situation affected her life too and she deserved to know.

"Wait here, I'll go get her," Erza said calmly, looking at him like he was a wild animal that had been backed into a corner. She obviously wasn't sure what was going on, but with the way Gildarts was acting it had to be urgent.

He waited on the front stoop for what seemed like forever (ten whole minutes!) before she finally appeared.

Cana (Rebecca some little voice in his head whispered) was so beautiful. She looked so much like Conny, but _not_ at the same time. She wasn't her mother, she was her own person, and that was totally fine.

She was stunning even when she'd clearly just rolled out of bed. Her hair in a messy ponytail with stray strands going everywhere, a wrinkled t-shirt that had the slogan _'wake me when there's coffee'_ , and a loose-fitting pair of pants. Her eyes widened upon seeing him, if Erza had told her that he was the one who had come to see her then she probably hadn't believed her. Or maybe it was just that it was seven o'clock in the morning on a Saturday.

"G-Gildarts?" She asked in surprise (Daddy, she should be calling him Daddy)," What are you doing here?"

Suddenly he couldn't remember how to speak.

"I-I needed to see you," he stuttered lamely.

Cana looked at him apprehensively, because he had never paid attention to her before and now, he was showing up at her apartment complex looking like a loon.

He should break the news to her gently, "I'm your father." Or just blurt it out- that works too.

He quickly started babbling, wanting to explain himself," I-I just- the song- Conny, your mom, and I wrote that song together and it was _our_ song, you know? When-when you started singing it yesterday, it just kind of 'clicked'. And then I realized how much you look like her, and I got master to give me your file- did you know that 'Rebecca' was a name I picked out? I said that if I had a little girl that's what I would name her- she actually hated it- not the point. I-I swear I didn't know- "a raised hand stopped his rambling.

"You- you're my Dad?" she asked, with something beyond disbelief in her voice.

"Y-yeah, I know its probably hard to believe- "

She burst out laughing. Cana was holding her sides as she howled, tear rolling down her face. Oh no- did she think this was some kind of prank- how did he make her believe it?

"After all these years of trying to tell you- and all I had to do was play a damn song?!"

Wait, what?

Gildarts stared open mouthed at his daughter- had she just…

"You knew?" _Why hadn't she said anything?_

"Its why I came here, why I joined Fairy Tail in the first place," the brunette admitted," I've tried to tell you… so many times, but something always got in the way. I'd actually been planning to tell you if I made S-class, figured if I pulled that off, I'd finally have the guts to do it."

She had- all these _ **years**_ -she had been trying to tell him the truth. How lonely had she been, seeing him _ignore_ her…

He wrapped her in his arms, pressing her head against his chest. He just kept on apologizing over and over, telling her that he was here now and he'd never leave again, that he was just so sorry that he'd taken so long to see the obvious, and that he already loved her so much.

"Can I call you 'Dad'?" Cana asked in a watery voice.

"O-of course you can- you can even call me 'Daddy' if you want," the crash mage offered hopefully.

"…I don't know about that, but I'll try."

"That's fine, just please let me have the right to love you." He pleaded.

"You've always had it."

Then suddenly the two of them were bawling like toddlers and clinging onto each other for dear life. Gildarts was pretty sure they made a weird sight to anyone looking, but he hadn't been this happy since he had married Conny.

Cana was going to let him be part of her life and she had given him permission to love her. All the other details could wait until later, all the big discussions could wait until later, but right now all that mattered was holding his baby in his arms and making sure she knew how much he loved her.


	3. Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu knew scents well, and his nose was telling him that Gildarts and Cana were related- but if they were then why didn't they act like a family?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't tell me that with a nose as strong as his, Natsu never figured it out? And Makarov may not recognize 'Alberona', but he would definitely remember Cornelia's name.

Natsu was not someone anyone would describe as 'subtle', 'thoughtful', or 'observant'… seriously Natsu and any of those words just plain do not go together. He liked to pick fights as loudly as he possibly could, he had no filter between his brain and his mouth, basically he wouldn't know subtle if it bit him in the butt.

Despite his short comings- if there was one thing, he knew well it was scents. As a dragon slayer his sense of smell was second to none. But right now, his nose was really confusing him.

He knew Gildarts and he knew Cana, he was not as close to the latter as he was the former, but he considered both of them part of his crazy family. Yes, he knew them both, but as far as he could tell, while they knew each other, they didn't really _know_ each other. Beyond being members of the same guild and friends of his, the two really didn't have much in common beyond being members of the same guild.

So why did they smell so much like each other?

The scent of a human or animal couldn't be so easily described as 'smoke' or 'citrus'- they were something that was totally indescribable, yet insanely specific. Natsu could meet someone once and would always be able to find them again if he tried, while he may not remember their name or what they looked like, he would always remember their scent. No two scents were ever exactly the same, although some could come close.

People who were related always smelled like each other, parents smelled like their kids and brothers and sisters smelled like each other- Igneel had told him that this was a rule of nature- and Igneel was always right! Cana and Gildarts smelled like each other- that meant they were related, but why didn't they act like a family then?

Well, if you want to know something…

"Are you and Cana related?"

The strongest mage in Fiore choked on the mouthful of beer he'd just been chugging. Trying not to hack up his lung as he coughed, he turned toward the curious pinkette sitting next to him: where had that come from?

"What?" Gildarts sputtered.

"Are you and Cana related?" The pyro repeated.

"N-not as far as I know- why?" Gildarts asked totally confused, as far as he was aware there was no connection between the two of them- but he had grown up in an orphanage, so it _was_ possible.

"Your scents." Natsu said plainly, explaining a little when he saw how confused the older mage was," You guys smell like each other, the only way that's possible is if you're related. But if you guys are related why don't you act like it?"

Gildarts didn't really know how to respond to that. Natsu's nose was a lot sharper than his own, and if he said that he and Cana smelled enough alike that they had to be related, then he was probably related to the brunette.

"I... don't know what to say to that Natsu," the crash mage admitted, "As far as I know we aren't related, but I can't say that for sure- if you had to guess how closely related do you think we are?"

Natsu shook his head," Doesn't work like that," the boy said firmly," You guys are close enough to smell alike but I can't tell much more than that."

The crash mage was slightly disappointed at the answer, but at least this had been brought to his attention. He had grown up in an orphanage before his magic had grown to out of control to handle and he had been sent to Fairy Tail; for all he knew he could have a dozen brothers and sisters, hell it wasn't completely out of the question for little Cana to _be_ his sister.

Still, this was something good to know, "Thank you Natsu," he said ruffling the boy's hair," I'll look into this, just don't tell Cana will you? I don't want her to get her hopes up if I can't find anything."

Natsu nodded, his attention zeroing in on Gray who had just walked in, the pyro rushing to start a fight with the Ice Make wizard.

So, he and Cana were related… he honestly did not know what to make of that. Not that he had anything against her, she seemed like a really sweet kid, he just had never said more than maybe ten words to her in all the years she'd been with the guild.

"So, what was that about?"

At the sound of the Guild master's voice, he turned in surprise to find the shorter man standing on the bar next to him, an eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" The redhead asked, not sure what the older man was asking.

"What did Natsu say that surprised you enough to make you choke on your drink? He asking about the birds and the bees already?"

Gildarts shuddered in terror just thinking about that," No thankfully. It wasn't anything like that, apparently my scent and Cana's are similar enough, that according to Natsu we have to be related."

That got a surprised blink out of Makarov, who scrutinized the wizard he had seen grow from a child into the man he was today- he supposed he could see a little resemblance in the face, not much though. "Do you mean related as in cousins or related as in parent and child?"

The crash mage gaped for a second, "Whoa! I'll have you know Master; I take precautions pretty damn seriously and in case anything _does_ happen I make sure that the girl can contact me. I haven't had an accident baby yet and I never will!"

The shorter man held up his arms in mock surrender, rolling his eyes at the crash mage," Don't take it out on me Gildarts. You _do_ have a reputation."

The redhead snorted but didn't comment.

Makarov seemed to think something over for a moment," Do you want me to take a look through her file? You never know there might be a name you recognize," he offered.

Now it was Gildarts' turn to raise his eyebrows," … I mean that's not a bad idea, but this isn't normally something you would offer."

The guildmaster didn't look the other man in the eye.

"You just want in on the drama this could cause don't you!" Gildarts accused the shorter man, who just whistled innocently in response.

"Do you want me to do it or not?"

The Ace hesitated for a moment, before nodding in confirmation. That really was just about the only way he could think of to try and figure this out, he didn't know anything about where he'd come from, but maybe there would be a familiar name in her background, at the very least what harm could it do?

About ten minutes passed, before Makarov exited his office, visibly shaken as he headed down to where the crash mage was sitting. "Gildarts… you might want to come up with me."

Now he was concerned," Master, is everything okay?"

The older man chewed on his lip for a moment, looking very conflicted before responding," I found a name that…Gildarts, I really think you should just come with me."

Alright- how bad could this be? More than a little apprehensively the Ace walked up stairs with the smaller man. Seriously, what did he find in Cana's file that caused a reaction like _this_.

After sitting down in the office Makarov snapped a magic cancelling cuff on his wrist, startling Gildarts from the lack of warning," I just don't want the guild hall to get leveled." Makarov said quietly, before handing him a piece of paper from the open file on the desk.

It was a birth certificate; from context it was Cana's birth certificate- but why had this…

Then he saw it.

Mother: Cornelia Alberona.

Cornelia Alberona.

Conny.

Conny was Cana's mother. Conny had given birth to a baby girl in the year 766, only seven months after everything had fallen apart.

' _Do you mean related as in cousins or related as in parent and child?'_

He and Cana were related, scent proved that. Conny had left him seven months before Cana had been born.

Cana was his daughter.

He had a daughter. He was a father. He was a father to a sweet little girl he had barely ever spoken to.

Master had been right to put the cuff on him; he definitely would have leveled the building.

"Master where's Cana?" He asked, surprised at himself with how desperate he sounded, but he needed to go get her, he needed to hold her, to apologize for being such a horrible dad for the majority of her life, and to beg her to let him be her father.

Makarov looked him up and down, before answering," She's out on a job, but she should be back in an hour or so. Do you want to stay here for now? I'll bring her up as soon as she gets here."

Gildarts just nodded, not trusting himself to speak past the lump in his throat. That, that would be best. At least it would give him a little bit to collect himself in order to not freak her out. God how do you even tell an eleven-year-old that you're her father? How the hell was he going to do this?

Fuck, what happened after this? Would Cana come live with him; would she even want to? How much did she remember Conny? Would she hate him for not being in her life? The scariest thought: would she even care?

Did she even want a dad? From what he had seen she was growing into quite a fine young lady thanks to Master Makarov, would she want a parent other than him? Hell, he might even screw her up, what did he know about being a dad (absolutely nothing that nasty little voice in his head whispered)?

But she deserved to know who her father was.

The creak of the door startled him (had it been an hour already?) and he turned to see her slip into the room, she looked pretty confused at seeing him- yeah he'd probably be wondering what was going on too.

"Um, Master said you needed to talk to me," she offered hesitantly. Damn it, how had he never realized this before? She looked so much like her mother it was incredible, but, no offense to Conny, Cana just seemed a bit prettier. Maybe it was some kind of fatherly bias towards his child.

"I just- did you know that people who are related to each other have similar scents? Its just- I didn't until Natsu- well he got the ball rolling I guess…" He was rambling, why couldn't he just get this out?

Cana's body language was odd though, it was almost like she was _searching_ him for something.

"You know don't you?" Her quiet little voice cut right through his babble.

"What?" He asked in surprise- did she just imply-

"That you're my dad."

His thought process ground to a halt.

"You, you knew that I was your-" he broke off at seeing her trembling nod, she looked like she was about to cry…

Just as that thought passed through his head, she actually did start crying. At the first tear every question flew out the window and he was pulling her into his arms as she cried. This… however he had thought this could go, he didn't really see this one coming. After she had calmed down somewhat the man asked the question," Cana why didn't you say anything?"

"I _tried_ its just, something always happened. You had to go to a job, someone got your attention first, and then I couldn't say the words."

Oh God, how lonely had she been- having to see him interact with all the other children accept for her? He pulled her tighter towards him," I'm so sorry. I'm here now and I'm here to stay."

"Can I call you Daddy?"

Now he was going to start crying," Sweetheart- nothing would make me happier. I just… I already love you so much sweetheart."

"I love you too Daddy."

That sent him over the edge and then both of them were crying and laughing at the same time: what an incredible pair of emotional wrecks they were. He had a daughter and she had a father- they'd learn how to be a family together and he was going to enjoy every second of it.


	4. Process of Elimination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an outside source reveals the secret and Cana is a little bitter about it.

The Oracle. A powerful relic that had the potential for good or evil depending on who wielded its power. It was what the latest dark guild had been after. It had the power to answer any question its wielder asked, it knew all past, present, and future. That was why it was so dangerous in the wrong hands. Think of the damage that could be inflicted if it was asked for the locations of other powerful relics or for information on the families of their enemies. It could allow for someone to fix the stock market or influence nations depending on what questions were asked- and right now it was in the hands of Fairy Tail.

Team Natsu had retrieved it on their last mission together- they had defeated a dark guild, thankfully before it could be used, but now they had a dilemma. They certainly couldn't leave it where anyone else could get a hold of it but turning it over to the Magic Council wasn't exactly a good idea either. Gray and Erza had had to play a game of keep away in order to prevent Natsu from asking it about Igneel. Ultimately the temptation was just to great for any of them- they could ask and find out anything they wanted. Anything.

Lucy could ask if her father actually loved her beyond being his pawn, Gray wanted to know if Ur had made it to the other side successfully, and Erza wouldn't deny being curious about the identities of her biological parents. However, they had no idea what would happen if they tried to use it- when using relics as powerful as this it was definitely a gamble.

They had brought the thing back to the guild in the end, they needed Makarov's advice to know what to do. After the lot had seriously discussed the possibilities, it had been agreed on that it needed to be destroyed for everyone's safety- unfortunately no one was sure how to do that. Things like this- they needed a way to destroy it safely and without any repercussions.

They came to a conclusion no one was entirely happy with: to ask the Oracle itself how to destroy it.

This decision resulted in everyone gathered in the basement of the guildhall, crowded against every wall surrounding the center of the room where the summoning would take place. They needed everyone there in case this went badly, even with as many precautions as they had taken.

"Remember everyone," the diminutive man said seriously, "If anyone asks a question before the first has been answered, it renders the first void. Any individual person can only ask one question, and beyond that the same question cannot be asked twice."

The entire guild nodded in confirmation that they understood before the small man laid the silver mirror onto the floor," I summon the oracle to tell me what I wish to know."

A cold wind rushed through the room as the glass of the mirror glowed brightly, a spectral mist forming directly above it, taking shape into the form of a woman. Her features were sharp and emotionless, her hair covered by some type of hood, and her eyes were just two points of light.

"I answer the call, Asker. You may ask one question, no more."

"How do I destroy you, so that no one may ever ask you a question again?"

Though her features gave nothing away, everyone could tell that she was furious.

"Are you sure that is what you wish to know?" The entity asked, clearly wanting to avoid answering," I contain all the knowledge of the world past, present, and future- why destroy me when I have so much to offer?"

It shifted its spectral body to face Natsu, "What of you little Dragneel? Don't you want to know where your father has gone?"

The dragon slayer eagerly threw his body forward, a muffled yell coming through the tape on his mouth: they had prepared for this. Knowing Natsu had a loose mouth and no impulse control, Gray and Gajeel had held him down while Erza taped his mouth shut (the tape had been enchanted so he couldn't take it off himself), all three of them had done it a bit more enthusiastically than necessary though.

Upon realizing that Natsu would get her nowhere, she turned toward the petite blunette, "And you Levy McGarden? Do you not wish to know where hidden archives are buried? Whole libraries of ancient knowledge that have not been seen in centuries?"

Everyone could see Levy visibly fight the temptation that had been dangled before her, she finally took a deep breath, "Yes, I would like to know, but I will not ask the question."

The Oracle shifted once again to the violet haired Kinana," What of you little one? Do you not wish to know if there is anyone missing you?"

Kinana took a deep breath, "Yes I would like to know, but I will not ask the question."

Seemingly agitated the entity turned again, trying to bait them into asking. "And Macao Conbolt- do you not wish to know if your wife was unfaithful before she left you?"

The dark-haired fire mage simply shrugged," Honestly, no. At one point I did want to to know, but I don't care anymore."

Once again, the entity shifted, coming to face the Ace of Fairy Tail. "And you Gildarts Clive- there is nothing you wish to know?"

The red-haired man shook his head lightly," No not really," he answered easily.

"Not even about your daughter?"

That caused a ripple of shock throughout the entire room, Gildarts himself looked like he'd been slapped in the face with a fish.

"I-I don't have a daughter."

Unseen by the room, Cana flinched at his words.

The Oracle finally showed an emotion, she was smug as she responded to the crash mage," Oh but you do. A beautiful and powerful young woman- she's in this room right now as a matter of fact."

That got another round of surprise from the peanut gallery- Gildarts was a hero to the guild, that he had a kid among them was a surprise.

The man took a shaky breath, warring with himself before answering," I will not ask the question, now I know that she exists and that she is in this room- I'll figure out who she is on my own. Now answer the question that has been asked."

The Oracle was angry, but she answered," Shatter the mirror. It is my vessel and destroying it shall destroy me. Then melt the shards until nothing is left."

The question answered the Oracle dispersed back into the mirror. Leaving far more questions behind than there were before.

oOOOOo

"So, who do you think she is?" Lucy asked the table around her.

After the whole fuss with the Oracle, the main topic of conversation had been the identity of the daughter of Gildarts Clive.

"I really don't know," Levy said thinking it over," I mean there aren't that many women in the guild so its not a big pool to search through, but I don't really know where to start. I know its not me or you at least."

Lucy laughed a bit at her answer before nodding, "Yup, definitely not me!"

They heard an enthusiastic yell from Natsu, "It has got to be Erza! That thing said that she was powerful: Erza's powerful!"

The redheaded girl laughed a bit before admitting," For all I know I could be. I was abandoned in front of a church- no note, nothing. I've made my peace with it, but it would be nice to know."

Lucy blinked from the sidelines, she actually hadn't known that about her friend, but her being the Ace's daughter would make a lot of sense- Erza's strength had to come from somewhere.

"Is there anyway for you to find out for sure?" At the blonde's question, everyone stopped and thought about it for a moment.

"A blood seal would probably be the only way to know for sure," Mira said thoughtfully, "Both Erza and Gildarts would have to put a drop of blood on the seal, depending on how it changes color would tell us whether or not they're related. We could probably get Freed to draw one up."

At this everyone started getting excited as they called over the green haired man. After getting the confirmation that he would do it (they could all tell he wanted to know just as much as the rest of them), they approached Gildarts.

The crash mage had been sitting on the second floor lost in thought for a while. He had a daughter. He was a dad and apparently, she had been right under his nose. He was trying to think back, searching through his memory of any faces that were similar to the girls of the guild- he was coming up empty.

He had to know; whoever had his child hadn't told him and that hurt a bit. He always made sure he left a way for any of his flings to contact him in case something like this happened, in case the protection failed: and now he was faced with the reality that whoever had mothered his daughter hadn't done so. Had she purposely kept him out of her life for some reason or was there something that had prevented her from speaking up?

The blood seal sounded like the best idea in order to figure it out and had to admit that from a standpoint of raw power Erza did seem to be the most likely candidate. Yet, something about it didn't sit quite right, it was like something in his subconscious told him that it wasn't her.

"I have a suggestion," Makarov put forward (when he had gotten there?), " You brats are right, a blood seal seems to be the best chance of figuring this out- but there's always a chance that one of the girl's may believe a man to be their father who isn't. My suggestion, let's get every woman in the guild to do the test, that way we know for sure."

Everybody in the group blinked in surprise, before conceding that it was the best way to go about it. Everyone dispersed to gather all the female Fairies in order to find out which one of them had the blood of the strongest mage in Fiore running through their veins.

oOOOOo

So far, every single test had come back negative. Thirty-seven female Fairies were not his child. Gildarts was admittedly getting a little anxious, the Oracle couldn't lie- they knew that much, but what if it had been a bluff?

Despite the feeling he had gotten earlier, he had been a little surprised when Erza's test had been negative (as had everyone who had bet on her). Still, only three more to go.

Lucy: Negative.

Bisca: Negative.

Damn did that mean…

Kinana: Negative.

That gave everyone pause, if all of the tests were negative- what the hell were they missing?

"Wait- where's Cana?" Somebody yelled. At the question, everyone took stock of the female Fairies- only to realize that whoever had yelled was right: Cana hadn't taken the test.

Natsu was the one to voice the realization that hit everyone at about the same moment," Wait, doesn't that mean that Cana is…" the pinkette trailed off, but everyone could fill it in.

Cana was the only female guild member not there (where was she- all of a sudden everyone realized that nobody had seen her since the Oracle had finished) and thus was the only female guild member to not have done the test. By process of elimination… Gildarts knew the identity of his daughter now.

Everybody was getting excited- Cana had never even crossed anyone's minds as a possibility, she was the daughter of the strongest mage in the country: how cool was that!

Now all that was left was to find her and tell her the news!

"Anybody know where she is?" Macao yelled, getting a round of negatives," Alright then, lets all spread out- knowing her she's probably at a bar, so let's all spread out!"

In an instant Gildarts and Makarov were the only ones in the hall.

Cana… he hadn't ever really interacted with her before. Hell, he'd spoken to her maybe twice in all the years she'd been with the guild! Who was her mother and why hadn't she told him about her? He would have stepped up; he could've helped raise her! Everyone was out looking for her because Gildarts didn't know the first thing about her.

"She won't be in a bar."

"Huh, what?" Gildarts asked the shorter man.

"Cana's not going to be in a bar- contrary to popular belief the only place that girl day drinks is in here. No, you ask me she's going to be at Griffith's across town."

"Griffith's?" Did Cana have a boyfriend? Did he have the right to interrupt their time together-?

"It's a music shop that doubles as a dance studio; she's loved it for years. A piano and a place for her to dance for fun- her favorite place in the world besides the guildhall."

She was a dancer and a musician. Master had raised her here in Magnolia since she'd first shown up when she was a little thing (he vaguely remembered a pair of big eyes in an adorable face). Master knew things about her he'd never know, because Master had been the parent he'd never gotten to be.

"Gildarts," he turned to the shorter man," Go get her. If nothing else she deserves to know."

The redhead hesitated for a moment, before heading out.

oOOOOo

Griffith's was a warm building that seemed like every performers dream come true; wide glass windows exposed the inside of the shop, and he could see a familiar head of dark hair seated at a piano.

This was it, no going back. If nothing else she deserved to know, maybe she'd be willing to let him into her life.

He walked in- wow she was a very talented player. He couldn't place whatever she was playing though. She stopped as she heard the footsteps behind her, and she turned to face him.

He paused at just how… unsurprised she seemed to see him there. She snorted bitterly at seeing him.

"Process of elimination I take it?" She asked, sounding …tired.

Wait…

"What?"

"Obviously since you're here you know who I am. The only way that could have happened is if you worked through everybody else." She said matter-of-factly.

"You-you knew that- "Why hadn't she said anything? How long had she known-?

Cana just looked at him, she seemed drained, "I found out a while ago. My mother told me who you were and how to find you before she died. That's actually why I joined the guild- I tried to tell you so many times," she took in a frustrated breath as she ran her hands through her hair," After a while- after a while my own self esteem was so low that I told myself I couldn't tell you unless I made S-Class. Because you wouldn't want a daughter who was as weak as me." She held up a hand to stop his protest (that just wasn't true!)," Don't, just let me finish please. I don't expect anything from you, things can stay like they are but… I'm glad I met you… Dad."

He was going to cry, she had- he was a pathetic bastard who let his own child suffer all these years- how lonely must she have felt. She'd come to Fairy Tail when she was a _child_ \- she had known the entire time? He was wrapping her in his arms before he'd even realized that he'd moved.

"I'm so sorry Cana." She had to know that.

"You didn't know, I don't have anything against you."

"Will you let me be your Dad?"

"I'd love that."

Then they were both crying and hugging like a pair of idiots, then laughing at the fact that they must look like idiots. He had so many questions that still needed to be answered, but that could all wait until later. Right now, Cana deserved to know just how much he already loved her.


	5. A Letter to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " A letter arrived while you were gone, it was from Cornelia, Gildarts."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was dying I would have tried to contact the father of my kid (unless he was a terrible human being that my kid wouldn't be safe with)- though we don't know how Cornelia died I decided to go with disease here- because she had some warning that she was dying she decided to make sure Cana was taken care of. You might have some timing issues, but we don't know how long it took between Cornelia dying and Cana managing to get to Fairy Tail.

Gildarts smiled as he took in the guild hall. It was good to be back, no matter how long or short his jobs were, coming back home to Magnolia always felt amazing.

As the crash mage worked through the crowd of his guildmates toward the bar where Master Makarov was, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made him stop and take a closer look. What was a little girl, who was maybe five years old, doing in a guild famous for drunken fools and property damage? She seemed totally at ease among the chaos of the hall, calmly coloring and ignoring the world around her. She was definitely an adorable kid, but where were her parents?

Well, since he had a report to turn in, he could ask Makarov himself. The minuscule guild master was waiting for him with a serious look on his face.

"Hey Master- ready for my report?" Gildarts asked lightly.

Makarov leveled him with a stern look (what had he done this time?)," You were supposed to be back a month ago."

The crash mage blinked- that was what this was about?" Um… things just wound up taking a little longer than I thought it would- did something happen while I was gone?" Maybe there had been some kind of crisis he had missed?

"You would know if you had answered the emergency lacrima call." The shorter man said tightly.

Oh wait," Master my emergency lacrima broke- it got stepped on by the monster I was fighting- is everybody okay?" That thing was never used lightly, whatever had happened it was _bad_.

The shorter man scrutinized the crash mage before exhaling, "Gildarts, come up to my office with me, will you? This isn't the kind of talk you want an audience for."

Oh God, what was going on?

oOOOOo

Seated in the office the two men were waiting for the other to break the silence. Makarov wound up being the one to do so after rubbing at his face tiredly.

"Before I start put this on- I don't need you destroying everything," The guildmaster held out a magic sealing cuff to the crash mage, who blinked staring at it before hesitantly putting it on. Whatever was about to be said was definitely bad if Master didn't think he could keep his control up.

"Not too long after you left, we received a letter addressed to you, we didn't open it at first, until a second one arrived two weeks later." The man seemed to age five years as he spoke. "It was from Cornelia, Gildarts.

The redheaded man froze- Conny? She hadn't spoken to him in six years, four months, and five days ever since… ever since everything had fallen apart.

"What… what did the letters say?" He asked numbly, not sure if he wanted to know. They had never officially gotten divorced, though 'go to hell' felt pretty official to him- maybe she had finally sent the paperwork.

"That she was sick and she needed to see you."

Sick? Conny was sick? He had to go see her right now! Who knew how much worse she had gotten-?

"When I couldn't get a hold of you I went to see her myself, to see if I could at least pass a message on-"the smaller man rubbed at his face again,"… Gildarts, Cornelia is dead."

The world imploded. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't breathe. Master was trying to get him to calm down- what do you know? The cuff was useful after all. The sun was shining outside the window- how dare it? Conny was gone- everything should be dark and cold because one of the greatest people in the world was-

SLAP!

Gildarts' head snapped to the side with the force of Master Makarov's strike, his hand going up to touch his now stinging cheek.

"I needed that." He really had. The world was coming back into focus. He wasn't okay, but he would be to somewhat function- at least he wouldn't level everything once Makarov took the cuff off.

"What… Master why did she want to see me?" Had Conny wanted closure? Had she wanted to mend things?

Makarov looked him up and down once again, before sighing deeply," Did you see the little girl downstairs?"

Gildarts blinked at the abrupt change in subject," … Yeah. Master what is a kid that young doing here?"

"She's your daughter."

The world stopped for the second time. What?

"From what Cornelia told me, she found out that she was pregnant not too long after… after everything that happened between the two of you. She wrote those letters because she wanted you to take care of Cana if… if the worst happened. She died not too long after I got there, I brought Cana back with me to wait for you to get back."

"… Cana?" That hadn't been one of the names that they had come up with when they had the 'if we have kids' talk when things were better between them.

"It's her nickname. Her full name is Rebecca Arcana Alberona."

"…Rebecca?" Conny had- after everything she had-?

Makarov was speaking slowly, trying to give Gildarts time to process everything. What was so significant about the name 'Rebecca', the guild master had no clue, but clearly it was important. "She's a sweet girl Gildarts. Never causes trouble, smart as a whip, and she's already showing signs that she's going to be a powerful mage when she gets older."

All Gildarts could think about was the sweet little thing sitting at the table coloring among all the chaos. That was his baby. He hadn't taken a good enough look at her- why hadn't he taken a good look at her?! What kind of father was he? He had missed everything in her life!

"Can I see her?" The child he had made with Conny (why hadn't she told him?!), the only thing left of Cornelia. He had to see her, had to hold her, had to engrave her face into his mind. How was it that he already loved this kid this much when he hadn't even met her yet?

The shorter man smiled," I'll go get her, she's been waiting to meet you since she got here. She's been asking me everyday when her daddy was coming." She had? Damn it he was going to start bawling before he even saw her.

Master was gone for hours (okay it was maybe five minutes) before he finally reappeared, holding the hand of the most adorable little girl he had ever seen. Her little curls were just perfect, she had the biggest eyes he had ever seen that were an incredible shade of purple. She was looking up at him a little shy, but still openly curious of this man who must have seen larger than life to someone as tiny as her.

He got down on his knees, so he wasn't as huge to her, and she didn't have to strain herself to look him in the face. She hesitantly let go of master's hand and walked up to him- damn she was so beautiful.

"Are you really my Daddy?" she asked, in a little voice that sounded like it was made from pure sugar.

"Yeah, yeah I am," he croaked trying (and failing) not to cry, she gave him a smile that could light up a room, throwing her arms around his neck in one of the best hugs he had ever received. Gildarts immediately wrapped his own arms around her, scooping her up so he could hold her.

She barely weighed anything! A light breeze would probably carry her away! He'd have to always make sure he was holding her when they were outside, otherwise she'd probably blow away! She was so delicate- he was going to have to train his control as fine as he could- if anything happened to her… if anything happened to this perfect little angel he would die. That was not an exaggeration or metaphor- in the span of a few minutes this little princess had become his entire world- he would not be able to keep going if something happened to her.

He got the feeling he would not be able to tell his princess 'no', at least not easily. Did she want a puppy? He could get her a puppy! He'd have to add onto his house- it was way too small for the two of them. He'd have to cut back on working so much- she deserved as much of his attention as he could give her (all of it, she deserved all of it!).

Cana was just so perfect.

The little girl moved back so she could look her father in the eye," Why'd you take so long Daddy?" She sounded so disapproving and the serious look on her face was making him coo internally.

"Daddy got a little lost princess; I didn't know you were waiting for me- I would have run all the way home if I had. Its never going to happen again sweetheart." He swore to her.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay!" She then happily went back to hugging her father like she hadn't just been upset with him. He knew he must have had an interesting look on his face, because of the way master was looking at him with barely veiled amusement. The older man just mouthed 'kids' with a shrug and that actually perfectly explained what had just happened.

He was going to do the best he could to make sure this little girl was never sad a day in her life. That meant his bad habits had to stop. No more six-month missions, no more random hookups, no more replacing meals with booze; he had a daughter, he was a father, everything was different now. Yet, despite all of that, despite all the bombshells that had been dropped, this was the greatest day of his life.


	6. A Blessed Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everything went right, when pride was swallowed and apologies made: when two people who loved each other decided to try again, and have some damn good motivation to do better this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I think could have happened if two adults had actually talked things out, rather than avoid a problem. Since there is so much we don’t know about their relationship I kept this vague on purpose, basically it started as a case of insecurity, escalated to you love your job more than me, and spiraled out of control, with both sides saying things they didn’t mean. If you think I hit it, please tell me. If you think I screwed up, please tell me- just be nice about it.

If you asked anyone in Fairy Tail to describe Gildarts Clive, ‘coward’ probably would never even cross their minds, but asking the mage himself would be a different story. The crash mage would probably be the first to call himself a coward; seven months ago, he had let the best thing in his life walk out the door and he did nothing. What had he done in the aftermath? He ran away.

He had buried himself in work- finishing eight SS-class quests in five months just to distract himself from the pain. After the last one, he had decided to track her down, even if there was nothing he could do to fix their broken relationship, at least it would be better than just leaving things like they had; with two broken hearts and unsaid words.

It had taken a while to track her down; Conny had wanted to get away and start fresh and he felt a little bad that he was going to ruin that. But… he just needed to see her one last time, to tell her everything he needed to say, if Conny still wanted him out of her life after that, then he’d leave- it would destroy him, but he’d do it.

As the house that everyone in the town had directed him to came into view, the crash mage let out an exhale- he was probably going to get slapped for showing up like this. At best she’d slam the door in his face, at worse she might castrate him (or maybe even some unpleasant things- Conny could be very sadistic when she wanted). Gildarts didn’t care- he had to see her, he had to apologize, he had to get down on his knees and beg, because she was the greatest thing that ever happened to him and he couldn’t give up without a fight.

The house was almost cookie cutter, your standard two story house, green paint job, white shutters- hardly anything he would have thought she would go for; then he noticed the statues by the front door and snorted- nope this was definitely the place. Two sculpted wooden bears, each holding signs that said, ‘Go Away’ and ‘Take a Hike’ respectively. He found himself fighting a laugh- it was just so purely _Conny_.

The Ace arrived at the front door and almost bolted- how was it a plain, wooden door was among the scariest things he had ever seen. Damn it he was a pathetic coward. If nothing else, he had to do this for closure.

It had been seven months and twelve days since he had last seen his wife and the future of their relationship depending on how this went. With a confidence he did not feel, he firmly knocked on the door and waited.

“Just a second!” A melodious voice called from inside the house.

This was it, this was happening, and God damn it all if her voice didn’t sound sweeter than it ever had before. ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ or something like that. The door opened and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. She was- Conny was-

Cornelia looked near equally surprised to see him. “…Gildarts.” She said quietly, seemingly aware that the man couldn’t hear.

She was even more beautiful than she’d ever been before. Dark hair like melted chocolate, her eyes were sparkling like two violet gems, and she seemed like she was glowing from the inside out. But he couldn’t stop staring at the smooth roundness of her belly.

Conny was pregnant.

oOOOOo

The silence was definitely awkward, with neither person willing to break it. Sitting across from each other in the small kitchen of the cookie-cutter house. They didn’t used to be like this, it used to be that there was never a quiet moment, just laughter and conversation about the smallest of things, even when things became volatile there still had rarely been a dull moment- but that was then and this was now.

“… Why are you here?” Cornelia asked past the lump in her throat- the last thing she had been expecting was him. But… it certainly wasn’t a bad surprise.

“I… I had to see you,” Gildarts said lamely,” I- just… Conny were you ever going to tell me?”

Two elephants in one room certainly made conversation difficult didn’t it?

Gildarts had no idea if it was some kind of animal reaction to his baby growing under this stunning woman’s skin or if it was just being in the same room with her again- but she had never looked so beautiful.

The pregnant woman shifted uncomfortably at the question, trying to work out her answer,” I don’t know. I know how that sounds, but honestly I don’t know.” She paused, gathering herself as she looked the man in the eyes, “But Gildarts… I’m happy you’re here.”

She meant it. She had missed him so much, especially when she had found out about the baby. She had ruined the best thing in her life, and she was too cowardly to swallow her pride and go back.

“Conny I’m sorry!” Gildarts blurted out, rushing to say his piece before he lost his nerve (she missed him- maybe this wasn’t the lost cause he thought this was). “I wasn’t being fair to you and I said a lot of stuff I didn’t mean- it’s just I was only thinking about myself. I haven’t slept right since you left. I would wake up in the morning and cry because you weren’t there- I took eight S-class jobs and finished them all in five months because I was trying to forget. Conny- you are the greatest thing that ever happened to me and I ruined it all- “

“Gildarts.” She cut him off firmly. That was the thing about Conny, she never yelled because she didn’t have to, she just had this presence about her that could command a room.

The woman waited until he calmed down somewhat (did he really feel like that?) before she started,” Gildarts you shouldn’t be apologizing, it wasn’t your fault… at least not entirely. I wasn’t fair to you either. Fairy Tail is just as important to you as I was: I tried to make you pick and that was not okay. You are a powerful wizard and you help so many people and I am so damn proud of you… asking you to choose was not fair and I realize that now. The past few months… the past few months… every time I felt the baby kick, I looked over and you weren’t there.” She took a shaky breath, tears starting to fall,” If nothing else, I want you in this child’s life and… and I want you back in mine.”

Gildarts had no idea what to say, he just reached forward and wiped the tears away, before kissing his wife as desperately as he needed air. They broke apart when Cornelia let out a light grunt, pressing her hand to the side of her belly. The crash mage panicked.

“Oh God is something wrong? I- you stay here I’ll- I’ll go get a doc- “his hand was grabbed and placed onto her belly, just in time for him to feel a tiny foot press up against his hand.

“It was just a good kick,” she said smiling at the look of boyish joy on his face as he felt the baby move.

“Conny… can we start over?” He asked her,” We both have baggage and we screwed up but- let’s try again.” Gildarts meant it. He would have to clean up a bit, measure out time better- both for her and the baby. “We can make this work; I know we can.”

“I’d like that,” she said with tears in her eyes and the two kissed like they had on their wedding day- full of hope for the future.

oOOOOo

The husband and wife lay side by side, in a comfortable silence. Cornelia smiling at the boyish joy Gildarts displayed every time the baby shifted under her skin. He was going to be an incredible father.

The crash mage broke the silence. “So, are we having an Arcana, or did you have to come up with a boy’s name?”

Cornelia blushed a little before admitting,” I… actually I decided that I wanted to be surprised.”

Gildarts blinked,” That’s not like you Conny. What happened to the woman who thought waiting to see was ridiculous?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cornelia shifted slightly before answering,” … You weren’t here. As stupid as it sounds and as stupid as I think it was- I didn’t want to find out without you there. So, I figured I would just wait until it was born.”

The Ace blinked again before smiling,” …Thank you Conny.” Neither was even entirely sure what he was thanking her for. “When is the baby due?” How long did they have to wait before the mystery was solved?

The pregnant woman shrugged,” I’m due next week but that doesn’t really mean anything, when the baby is ready it’ll let me know. Could be two weeks from now, could be tomorrow, there isn’t really anyway to know for sure. All we can do is wait until the baby is ready to come.”

oOOOOo

“Gildarts.”

Huh, that sounded like Conny- why was she trying to wake him up when they could be cuddling?

“Gildarts.” The man snuggled into his pillow- he had Conny back and a baby on the way, he did not want this dream to end.

A shove that almost sent him rolling off the bed and Conny’s panicked voice finally woke him up,” Gildarts get up!”

“Huh?” The groggy man asked sitting up, quickly becoming alert at the look on her face,” Conny are you okay?” He asked alarmed.

“It’s time.” Was all she managed to say before she hissed as the pain hit her.

Gildarts froze for about a minute before he was up and scrambling.

They were about to become parents.

oOOOOo

She was here. Arcana was here.

It had taken sixteen hours, but she was here.

She was the single most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life (sorry Conny!), even red and wrinkled as she was.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, if he did, he might wake up and realize that this was all just a very realistic dream. She was the tiniest thing he had ever seen (were all babies this small?), fragile and breakable, but had a strong pair of lungs on her with how loud she’d been screaming when she made her entrance.

His daughter was six pounds and ten ounces, ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes, and the sweetest face that he had ever seen.

Conny was nursing her at the moment, his wife was just radiant, even as exhausted as she was. Bringing their daughter into the world had been sixteen hours of blood, sweat, and tears (mostly from him when she broke his hand), but in the aftermath she just- content. She just had a peaceful smile on her face as the baby suckled- the whole world could be falling apart outside, and she wouldn’t have cared unless it cut into her baby’s rest.

“What are you thinking about right now?” She asked quirking her brow at him.

“You’ve never looked so amazing, both my best girls together- this is the best day of my life.” And it really was, even if he’d had to spend a little time away from both of them getting his broken hand set (he’d kind of had that coming at least).

“Did you see her birth certificate yet? You still need to sign it,” She gestured to the piece of paper on the table with a nod of her head.

Ah paperwork- the bane of life makes its way into every happy occasion, but he didn’t mind on thi- he froze.

“C-Conny I think you must have made a mistake,” he said dumbly, staring at his little girl’s name- was he really seeing this?

She shook her head lightly, looking at him in amusement,” No, no I didn’t.”

Rebecca Arcana Clive

His daughter’s name was Rebecca Arcana Clive.

“…I thought you hated ‘Rebecca’?”

“I do. We’ll be calling her Arcana, but… ‘Rebecca Arcana’ just sounds a lot nicer than ‘Arcana Rebecca’. It just has a nicer ring to it don’t you think?”

Gildarts just nodded, not trusting his voice. He signed off then joined his wife on the bed, the two just staring down at their baby.

“I love ‘Arcana’ and all, but for a pretty girl this small it seems like a lot- how about ‘Cana’ for short?” He offered quietly, not taking his eyes off of the baby’s little face.

Cornelia teared up, leaning her head into his neck,” That’s perfect.”

He was the Ace of Fairy Tail, the husband of Cornelia, and the father of Cana. He was a blessed man, and there was no way he was going to waste his second chance.


	7. Omake 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts realizes that Cana is not going to stay a little girl forever and will eventually be a woman interested in boys. Cue brain shutdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came from a chapter that didn't wind up working out- in which Gildarts tries and fails to get the words out to Cana several times for various reasons- this one was just him realizing that being her dad would come with more than a few tasks that are just terrifying to think about. Also showing off a little bit of the OverprotectiveDaddy!Gildarts that i find so adorable.

"I'm telling you 'Simon', 'Saffron', and 'Tirk' are terrible names!"

"And I'm telling you 'Simon' is a great name!"

Mirajane and Erza were in each other's faces as usual, but the argument was weird. They were arguing about baby names. Baby names.

Lisanna interjected trying to diffuse the tension," Well what about girl names- it could be a girl."

That seemed to get them even more riled up as they started yelling that the other had no taste and any children the other had would be picked on for life.

This was the scene Gildarts walked in on, after the last four attempts at telling Cana had been… disrupted, he had been trying to figure out a way to do it. Seeing his daughter sitting with the other girls… well sitting with Lisanna at any rate, as Erza and Mira were screaming something unintelligible at each other. Knowing better than to get in the middle of that, he approached the bar where Master was doing paperwork while ignoring the whole guild.

"What's all that about?" he asked gesturing to the girls.

"They've been talking about baby names." The older man replied, totally done with the situation.

The strongest mage in Fiore froze, just in time to catch a bit of the discussion.

"-what names do you like Cana?"

"Um, well I always figured that if I had a girl, I would name her Cornelia after my mom. I don't know about boy names… I mean I like 'Henry', but I don't know if I would name my son that..."

Babies? She was too young for babies! Why was his baby talking about babies?! Oh God- was she pregnant? Who had gotten his baby pregnant?!

"-I mean I don't think Macao wants a girl, but I could be wrong- "

Macao?! Macao had gotten his eleven-year-old pregnant? Wasn't he married? A laugh came from over his shoulder, "Ah yes, all the children have been getting pretty excited ever since Macao and his wife shared the good news."

Oh. Suddenly he felt really stupid. Cana was eleven, she probably wasn't even interested in boys yet (and if he had it his way she never would be!). Wait babies- had she even had that talk yet? Had Cana even gotten her first period yet? Did she even know what sex was?

Suddenly Gildarts felt like Natsu on a train. As he stared at his innocent (and she was going to stay that way!) unknowing daughter, maybe it was a good idea to tell her now- to just stop the procrastination and just tell her.

But, fuck, he wasn't sure he was ready to give her those kinds of talks- Conny would have been able to handle it- but him? Damn, speaking of stuff, he hadn't thought about living arrangements!

Of course, he wanted her to come live with him, but his house was pretty small… oh well no time like the present to add on! Just as he had begun to walk over to the girls, the main doors burst open revealing a panting Gray in just his boxers.

"Gray your clothes!" His baby girl yelled over at the ice mage (oh god, what’s going to happen when they get older and he keeps up the habit?).

"No time!" The boy yelled back," The candy shop in the shopping district is giving out free ice cream!"

In the time it took him to blink the guildhall was empty of children. Another attempt foiled. Oh well, might as well go get started on adding onto his house- when he finally tells her Cana would be able to move right in! As Gildarts walked back toward his house, the little voice in his head hissed at him that he was a coward and should go to the candy store and talk to her there- but he squashed it down. He had a house to add on to and he'd realized his baby was one day going to be a woman interested in boys: he couldn't deal with that right now!

And off he went.


	8. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts deals with the fact that his baby girl has now become a woman, this would be so much easier if Cornelia were still around.

It was a lovely morning, the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Gildarts was home for the first time in almost three months. Missions lasting that long used to be the norm for him, but ever since Cana had come into his life, he tried to limit missions to a month at a time- and even that was stretching it. As it was, he made sure to check in with Cana every day over a communication lacrima and he kept a picture of her on him at all times.

But he did have to admit, the hug he received whenever he got back never failed to be the best ones he had ever received. His little girl was maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet and every time he was almost knocked over by the force of her hug. He loved his baby so damn much that he honestly couldn’t figure out what he had done before her.

As it was, he was currently trying to figure out what to make for breakfast, when a loud yelp sounded from upstairs. He was up the stairs and at Cana’s door before he’d even realized that he’d moved. Was she hurt?

“Cana- sweetheart are you all right?” The worried father asked as he started to enter his daughter’s room only to have the thirteen-year-old shoving him back out.

“Dad! Get out! Get out!”

“Cana-?” To say he was confused was an understatement, then he spotted the blood. His daughter’s bed had a pretty good-sized pool of red soaking through it.

“Is that blood?!” He was immediately checking her over,” Where are you hurt- are you okay- “

Then he realized what was going on. Blood. Bed. Cana trying to shove him out the door.

Oh.

OH.

Judging by how Cana’s already red cheeks darkened further- she had been able to tell the exact moment her father had figured it out.

Awkwardly Gildarts just showed himself out of her room, told her he’d get started on breakfast, and that she could take all the time she needed.

As soon as he got back down though he sank into the nearest chair with his face in his hands. That… even though he had known that this had been coming- he really hadn’t prepared himself how to deal with it. Accidentally humiliating her as she was trying to take care of things had not been the best way he handled it.

His baby girl… well she was a young woman now.

After about an hour Cana came downstairs, cheeks still red and refusing to look her father in the eye. Gildarts, for his part, just had no idea what to say.

About an hour of awkward silence of eating breakfast and cleanup, before Gildarts rubbed at his eyes and broke it after an exhale,” Your mother would be so much better at this than me.”

A snort from his daughter made it known that both were in agreement.

“I’m sorry for barging in and for freaking out. You told me to get out and I should’ve listened. But, do you have any questions- I’ll do my best to answer. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me with anything Cana, if I broke your trust this morning I apologize.”

He wanted to make sure he cleared the air- she had to be able to rely on him and be able to come to him with anything no matter how embarrassing she thought it was.

“You didn’t… break my trust,” the brunette said quietly, cheeks still red but not nearly as bad as before,” I… I was just surprised- I didn’t mean to scare you. Its… it was just… messier than I thought it would be.”

Damn, Conny would be way better at this. But Conny wasn’t here and he had to do it- no complaints allowed. He carefully grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.

“This is going to sound lame but, its just part of growing up. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s… do you want me to get Porlyusica?”

Another snort,” She already beat you to it- had Master send all of us her place and she gave us all that talk.”

Okay- that was actually a big relief because he had no clue how to even approach that conversation.

“Is there anything you want to ask me anyway? Or do you just want me to leave you alone for the day?”

She thought about it for a minute,” No offense Dad… I kind of want to be alone for the day.”

Gildarts nodded,” Alright, that’s fine. Just let me know if you need me.”

The brunette nodded, cheeks no longer red, before turning and heading back to her room. Her father remained in place watching as she headed up. His girl was growing up… damn if that wasn’t bittersweet.


	9. Back Up Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Gildarts comes home, Cana reacts a little differently then you might think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could follow, Last Name, Scent, or A Letter to You; up to you entirely to decide.

It was an average day for the Fairy Tail Guild. Lucy, who had been woken up by Natsu having a nightmare (and he had made her sleep on the floor in her own house!), had been talking to Wendy and Carla about the girls dorms when the doors burst open.

"BIG NEWS!"

Neither man got a word in edgewise before the bells began to ring in a way Lucy had never heard before, though everyone else seemed to recognize. As the entire guild hall began to cheer enthusiastically, hugging and celebrating over whatever was about to happen. As Lucy, Wendy, and Carla were about to ask what was going on, a shriek of pure panic distracted everyone for a moment.

Cana, who had previously been drinking as per usual, had spat out her mouthful of beer as soon as the bells had started and launched herself across the hall to desperately grip the white-haired barmaid's shoulders.

"Mira- where's my backup clothes?! _Mira where's my backup clothes?!"_ The panicked card mage shrieked as she shook the oldest Strauss, who took a second to process.

"Behind the tequila!" Mira said in between shakes, and instantly Cana released the other girl, dove behind the bar, grabbed a package from behind the bottles and frantically started to change- not even caring that she flashed the entire guild.

Lucy was starting to freak out as the celebration continued," W-What's going on?"

"Old Gildarts is back!" Natsu yelled happily.

"Gildarts?" The blonde asked in confusion," Who's that?"

Mira, who had recovered from being shaken furiously by Cana, answered cheerfully," He's the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail."

Lucy's eyes bugged out as she yelped in surprise," But I thought that was Erza?!" She exclaimed gesturing at the redhead, who shrugged in response.

"All modesty aside, I don't hold a candle to him," the redhead said, uncharacteristically humble.

Lucy was stunned- someone even stronger than Erza? How was that even possible?

"W-well its good he's back, but why is everyone going so nuts?"

"This is only to be expected- he has been away for a long time. Three years in fact." Mira said in explanation.

"That's so crazy!" Lucy exclaimed," What has he been doing all that time?"

"He took on a quest that is the highest level of difficulty available: a century quest."

Wait, did that mean what Lucy thought it meant…

"A job no one has ever been able to complete in less than a hundred years, he didn't want to do it, but master eventually talked him into it." Erza explained.

"Who in their right mind would take on a quest that lasts a hundred years?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Him," the redhead responded shortly.

Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by an announcement," All citizens prepare for the Magnolia Gildarts shift!"

"What's a Magnolia Gildarts shift?"

"Step outside and see for yourself." The armored woman was clearly having fun watching how amazed the celestial wizard was at how the city shifted into place," It's a necessary precaution for his crash magic."

But there was one thing that Lucy needed to know," But if his coming back is making everyone else so happy, why is Cana, well… like that?" She asked pointing over to the bar area where the brunette card mage was frantically gargling mouthwash while trying to tie her hair up at the same time.

Both Erza and Mira winced sympathetically at the sight.

"Gildarts is her father." Mira explained, completely aware of how that little fact blew Lucy's mind, the white haired girl continued," He's… pretty overprotective over her, when he found out Cana got her first kiss he locked her in the house for a month, and even after that he still barely let her out of his sight. If he saw how she usually acts…" the She Devil let herself trail off as she and Erza each shuddered.

They were interrupted as the man of the hour entered the guild hall, after some initial confusion on his part and throwing Natsu into the ceiling, an excited squeal broke through the silence.

The older mage's face lit up as he eagerly grabbed hold of the card mage, swinging her around while laughing out loud," And there's my baby girl!" He hugged her close before taking a good look at her, softening slightly," You're as beautiful as your mother."

The girl blushed, smiling widely," Dad." She said in embarrassment.

"Any boys I need to beat up? Or have these drunken louts tried to corrupt you with… alcohol?" He asked her seriously, whispering the last word like it was one of the vilest things that existed.

Cana pouted up at her father," Of course not- no boys that are worth my time and I've never had a drop of alcohol in my life and never will." The girl lied with a straight face, thankfully Gildarts missed the snorts of 'liar' that sounded from half the room.

Lucy could only stare at the exchange, Cana was more covered up than she'd ever seen before: a green collared shirt that still exposed a good amount of cleavage, a dark brown skirt, brown leggings, and a pair of boots. With her hair tied up she looked like she was sixteen at best (which was probably why she kept it down, now that Lucy thought about it)- a perfectly innocent daddy's girl.

Well, if that story about his reaction to her first kiss was accurate… she could totally understand the need for subterfuge. Maybe it was a good thing her father had been distant if that was the alternative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The clothes Cana is wearing are the ones from 'The Right to Love', I've had this idea for a while now, just something light hearted and funny of Cana trying not to get caught by her overprotective father. She loves Gildarts to bits, but he strikes me as the kind of dad who absolutely would not stand for his baby being anything but his baby- i might write something later of him finding out how much she keeps secret.


	10. The Most Terrifying Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Gildarts goes to check on Cana, he finds her bed empty and his six-year-old nowhere in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows A Letter to You

Gildarts knew that it was a little ridiculous, but for the first few days since he had brought Cana home, he found himself checking up on her multiple times a night.

He knew it was irrational, but he was terrified that he would wake up to find that it had all been a dream, that he didn't have a daughter who was the most perfect thing he had ever seen. Thankfully, it seemed like this was indeed reality, because every time he got up, he saw her sweet little face sleeping peacefully.

And so, when he got up from the chair he had been sleeping in, having given up his bed to his little princess until her room was finished, he had expected to see the face that was a balm to his soul. Instead all he saw was an empty bed and no sign of the tiny brunette.

His heart immediately leapt into his throat as he frantically jerked around trying to find her. Where was she? Had someone taken her-?

"Daddy?" A sleepy little voice asked behind him. Gildarts immediately jerked toward the doorway to the kitchen to see his baby looking groggily up at him, before he even really thought about it, he had dropped to the floor gathering her up into his arms. As he held the confused little girl tightly to his chest, he let out a shuddering breath of pure relief. She was fine, she was safe, he had her.

As he pressed a kiss to her head, he thanked every god that existed that it had just been a false alarm.

"What's wrong Daddy?" Cana asked, not understanding why her daddy was acting so weird.

"Daddy was just scared when he saw you weren't in bed Princess," he explained, pressing another kiss to the top of her head.

"…Sorry." The little girl said guiltily, before twisting in her father's arms reaching for the teddy bear, she had dropped when Gildarts had scooped her up," Roo!"

She almost wriggled out of her father's hold as she grabbed her bear, her father barely managing to keep a hold on her. Wait, hadn't Roo been…

"…I left him," Cana said ashamed- the plush had been left in the kitchen after dinner as far as Gildarts remembered and Cana rarely slept without it; he was pretty sure he understood what had happened now.

"Well let's get you two back to bed," the crash mage said gently as he tucked her back into bed, taking care to kiss her goodnight for the second time that night. Cana was back to dream land almost as soon as her little head hit the pillow.

The father was left staring at his little girl. That had easily been the most terrifying moment of his entire life. If something had happened to her and he had slept through it… he would never forgive himself. But everything was alright, Cana was safe, nothing was wrong, so why was his heart still beating out of his chest.

He had heard parents talk about their children- how ever priority in life shifted as soon as they held their baby for the first time. He had just never realized exactly what that meant. Cana had quickly become his entire world and he wouldn't have it any other way. He'd just have to make this a learning moment, to make sure that her bear was with her during her bedtime routine.

And maybe reinforce the locks on every entrance, just to be safe.


	11. The World Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makarov has a much needed talk with Gildarts about being too protective.

"Gildarts do you never put that girl down?"

The crash mage turned to see Makarov looking at him with a raised brow, Cana, who was currently being held by her father, waved at the shorter man enthusiastically.

"Hello Master!" She chirped happily as the man approached the father-daughter pair. She had managed to persuade her father to take her to the park, but he still insisted on keeping a hold on her.

Gildarts laughed a little at his darling before answering the question," Of course I put her down Master- don't I darling?" He cooed to the little girl in his hold who nodded happily.

"Then why is it that you're always carrying her whenever you two are outside? I'd think that Cana would like to run around outside- it's such a nice day for it to."

Cana answered instead of her father," Daddy says that I'm too small to play outside- that the wind would take me away and he'd never see me again." The little girl parroted seriously, she wanted to go play, but Daddy said it wasn't safe and Daddy was always right.

"Oh, is that so?" Makarov said interestedly to the little girl, while her father looked away from his gaze sheepishly.

Hey! It wasn't like it was a total lie- Cana barely weighed anything! She probably would get carried away if he put her down! Inside was one thing, no giant birds, no feral animals, no strong winds- inside was much safer for his little princess until she was a bit bigger.

"Well then, in that case I don't suppose you and your father would mind coming with me to the guild? There are hardly any winds that could carry you away inside." The guildmaster offered.

Cana turned toward her father," Can we Daddy?"

Gildarts, who was incapable of saying no to his little princess, cooed," Of course we can sweetie."

After arriving at the guild, Cana was quick to squirm out of her father's hold running over to the area near the bar where her spare coloring books were kept. That would keep her occupied for a while.

Seeing that his daughter was distracted, the Ace turned toward the guildmaster with a sigh," So… what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Gildarts- you have to let her be a child." Makarov said exasperatedly, before softening slightly," I understand that you're new at this, and I know how much you love her, but you can't protect her from everything."

The crash mage flinched slightly," I know that Master, I really do but… Master look at her." The two men turned to look at the little girl happily coloring at her table," She's so perfect. I pick her up and its like I'm not even holding anything- I would never forgive myself if something happened to her."

The shorter man smiled at the Ace," But coddling her is going to do more damage in the long run." He said gently," You have a smart, beautiful little girl- but you've got to let her grow. Starting with letting her play outside- if need be watch her like a hawk but let her be a child."

Gildarts wanted to take the man's advice, he really did," But what if something happens?" And that was the fear wasn't it? That the one time something would happen would be when he finally let her out.

Makarov just raised an eyebrow and snorted," Gildarts, I can see you keeping one eye on her as we are talking- I know that if you ever got around to letting her play outside both eyes would be on her at all times, if anything did happen it would have to get by you first and I know perfectly well that you would never let that happen."

That got a surprised blink from the crash mage.

"Cana- can you come here please!" At the sound of her name the little girl looked up and ran over to the pair of them.

"Yes Master?" She chirped.

The old man smiled at the little girl," I was just talking with your Daddy and he is going to take you to that new playground down the street and he's going to get you ice cream afterword- how about that?"

Before Gildarts had processed that, his little princess let out a thrilled squeal, jumping right into his lap and hugging him around the neck (and of course he hugged her back- waste an opportunity to hug his angel?)," Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Daddy!"

Well that settled it, to the playground they go, and he would let his princess down- just on the playground though. Baby steps and all that.


	12. The Cana Kidnap Protocol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are serious dangers that come with being the daughter of the Ace of Fairy Tail.

Now, despite what some members of Fairy Tail might believe, the Cana Kidnap Protocol had not actually been Gildarts' idea.

Not that the overprotective father disapproved of it, just that it hadn't originally been his idea.

When Makarov had first returned to the guild, a six-year-old girl in tow, people had been curious about her. After talking to her the entire guild quickly fell in love with the little darling. When everyone found out that she was the daughter of Gildarts Clive, they were stunned, but not in a bad way. Watching the crash mage fall over himself whenever it came to his little girl brought smiles to everyone's faces.

Unfortunately, necessity was the mother of invention.

There had been a traveling fair that had stopped at Magnolia when Cana had been eight years old, the entire guild had gone to see the show. Laxus had been put in charge of watching Cana- though the then thirteen-year-old was doing his best, a crowd of people, bright lights, and performer's everywhere, it wasn't long before the two were separated.

At first the boy didn't panic, Cana was responsible and knew to stay in one place when she was lost, but after a few minutes of searching and questioning with no luck- then he started to get concerned. After locating his Grandfather, the entire guild started looking for her, after an hour that was when everyone realized what had happen. Thankfully, this particular group of kidnappers were highly incompetent and easily tracked down.

The entire guild participating made it one of the most one-sided battles anyone could recall- the wannabe dark wizards down and beaten senseless before they even knew what had happened. Apparently, they had been planning to auction off the daughter of Gildarts Clive to the highest bidder and had put her to sleep to make her easier to transport.

Other than being a little groggy for the rest of the day Cana was completely fine, though that incident had hammered in just how at-risk she really was.

For the next few weeks she was rarely let out of anyone's sight.

And so, the Cana Kidnap Protocol was born.

The dangers posed by Cana being as small as she was and Gildarts having as many enemies as he did resulted in several different solutions. First of all, from that day forward Cana had somebody as a babysitter at all times when Gildarts was unavailable and the little girl had received a silver bangle as a gift from Makarov shortly after the incident. The bangle was enchanted so that they would be able to track her so long as she was wearing it (and great pains were taken to make sure that she would always wear it). Finally, it was decided that Cana should begin learning how to defend herself-both with and without magic.

In the event that all precautionary measures failed, at least they knew she was a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders and if there ever came a day when they couldn't keep her safe, she'd be more than capable of rescuing herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to end this one, but I felt it was important to keep the badass Cana who doesn't need to rely on anyone unless she wants to alive and well in this verse. The point is no one, not even Gildarts could keep her as safe as she could herself- she is a protected child, but not totally dependent on the protection of others. If that makes any sense. Hope you liked this one!
> 
> I've been running a little low on ideas lately- if any of you have anything you want to see in this verse- please let me know! Maybe I'll do something with it, maybe I won't- but either way it will be appreciated!


	13. Delinquent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana curses in front of Gildarts for the first time, he has no idea how to handle that his perfect daughter is becoming a delinquent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who sent in story ideas (feel free to keep sending them!)- I have a few prompt-based stories coming soon! This has a bit of girls rule boys drool- what can I say, this conversation happened between my Dad and one of my younger sisters (the goody goody who gets away with everything- if she's reading this I understand if you have to get me back for that comment).

His little princess was upset about something, he could tell by the she stabbed her vegetables with her fork before eating them. She had come home from the guild in a huff, from what he could gather it had something to do with the other children, but for the life of him he couldn't guess what.

Oh well, no time like the present.

"All right- out with it," Gildarts said across the table, Cana barely looked up from her plate." What's wrong? I know that something's wrong."

Cana paused for a second before answering," Laxus was being a jackass."

The crash mage immediately choked on his own tongue- had his innocent little angel just _cursed_?! Meanwhile Cana was staring at her father like he was insane as he sputtered.

"W-where did you learn that word?" He asked incredulously- was she a delinquent?! Did he have a delinquent where his innocent angel used to be?!

Raising an eyebrow at her father after she rolled her eyes (was this that teenage rebellion thing everyone kept talking about?!) "I'm ten," she said in lieu of an answer- was this how it started?!

"S-sweetheart, I don't want you using that- that word, it's a bad word okay?" He had to nip this in the bud right now.

"Okay…" Cana said hesitantly, giving her father another weird look before going back to eating her dinner.

Alright, that was the problem handled. She wouldn't swear so that wouldn't open the door for other degenerate behavior: no tattoos, no lying, no piercings, no sneaking out… oh god. The possibilities of just what could happen when Cana hit her teen years started flooding his mind. Maybe he should find a cave in the middle of nowhere to keep her safe from bad influences. Or a tower- he could build a tower!

"S-so what was Laxus doing that made you upset?" He asked, trying to distract himself from the memories of his own teenage years (a blurry mess of property damage and underage drinking). Hell- even Conny had a bit of a wild phase, she'd spent most of her teenage years half-naked and almost as drunk as him (not that he minded).

Cana angrily stabbed the last piece of broccoli on her plate," He said he had better things to do than hang out with me."

Okay, this he could handle. Laxus and Cana had been close for a long time- though lately Laxus was trying to prove that he wasn't a kid anymore. It seemed that included distancing himself from his younger friend.

"Sweetheart- I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Gildarts started, trying to comfort her," He's just trying to prove something- "

"He's being an idiot! Why are boys so dumb?" Cana growled.

"I… I don't have a good answer to that sweetheart." He admitted, " I guess girls just have more sense."

"Yeah we do." Cana snorted, finishing off her dinner before standing up. "Night Daddy." She kissed her father on the cheek before heading upstairs.

Gildarts just sat at the table, that… that had not been how he had been expecting that to go. His princess knew swear words… at least she knew that she wasn't supposed to use them. Hopefully cracking down on bad behavior now would prevent anything else. Her parents may have been degenerates, but no way would Cana turn out like that, she had way too good of a head on her shoulders.

Still, keeping a close eye on things wouldn't hurt anybody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure how to end this one, I have an alternate piece in which the guys are all giving Gildarts a hard time and making him paranoid about Cana's future rebellion (that will go up sooner or later). But the idea of him freaking out over something that wasn't even really a swear word was just too funny.


	14. Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an accident leaves Cana an infant, Gildarts gets a chance at some of what he missed out on.

Gildarts bit back a swear as he narrowly dodged the projectile aimed at his head.

How was this happening? He was Gildarts Clive, the Ace of Fairy Tail, one of the strongest wizards in the country. The mention of his name made grown men freeze in fear, none could hope to match him in a contest of magic or physical strength.

So how was it he was losing the battle to get his daughter to eat her dinner?

The infant his incredible daughter had been transformed into was a picky eater- which was every bit as endearing as it was frustrating.

"Come on Little Miss," the father pleaded, "Just one more bite sweetheart. You want to grow up big and strong right?"

The baby just giggled and gnawed on her fist. He wondered how Corneilia had handled this, then again, his wife had been so incredible she would have been able to get Cana to eat with out the baby missing a single bite.

"Come on Princess, surely this tastes better than your little hand," Gildarts tried, moving the spoon with the mashed carrot (or was it sweet potato? It was orange whatever it was) towards her, only for the baby to close her mouth and move her head away. Dinner with Cana tended to take at least two hours on average, ending with him wearing the majority of her food.

The worst part was how happy it made her when she managed to hit him with whatever mashed up food she was meant to eat. She just let out a belly laugh that made the whole room light up and more then that he never wanted his perfect little princess to ever be upset- he was a bit ashamed to admit how much of a push over parent he was turning out to be.

His daughter was the most magnificent woman on the planet when she was her normal eighteen-year-old self, a woman who walked with a self-assured confidence in herself that made everyone stop and take notice and he was so proud of her- but now as a little baby she took his breath away. She was just so effortlessly happy in a way she just _wasn't_ as an adult, with eyes taking in everything she saw with a sense of wonder coupled with endless curiosity. Before this all had happened, he had known he would do anything to make sure she was happy, now he was absolutely certain he would kill to keep that smile on his sweet girls face.

He remembered the lacrima call he had received from Makarov- on the emergency line that was absolutely never used lightly. He had been concerned at first, but as soon as 'its Cana' had left the master's mouth Gildarts had already been running in the direction of Magnolia. Thankfully he had kept the line up as Makarov filled him in on the situation- Natsu had screwed up a mission, lost all pay except for a potion he never bothered to ask for details on, and as soon as the dragon slayer had gotten back to the guild he had picked a fight and the potion vial broke splattering onto Cana. His best girl was now an infant (who was apparently between eight and ten months old), and Makarov figured Gildarts would appreciate the heads up.

It had unfortunately taken him far too long to make it back to Magnolia (ten whole hours!)- and thankfully the city had already shifted into formation so he could go straight to the guildhall where his little darling had been waiting. She had been screaming at the top of her tiny lungs as the frazzled barmaid frantically tried to sooth her, and upon his stepping into the guild hall, his arms had immediately been filled with baby. He would be lying if he said he hadn't felt smug when upon being placed in her father's arms, she had immediately stopped crying. According to Mirajane, Cana had been throwing her little fit on and off for the whole length of time it took him to get there- crying herself to sleep and then waking up to continue screaming. Seems his girl had just wanted her daddy!

Makarov said the potion would only last for two weeks- and the Ace fully intended to make the most of it and squeeze in as much as he could.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as several peas hit him in the eye, Gildarts started in surprise and mock-glared at his giggling daughter.

"Did you find that funny little miss?"

Cana cheerfully started clapping in response.

"I take it you like throwing your food more than eating it," he took her open mouth as his opportunity to shove the spoonful of orange mash into her mouth, thank fully she didn't spit it out. In order to avoid the grumpy fit, he knew was coming, he pulled his baby out of the improvised high chair and blew a raspberry onto her tiny belly- he was rewarded by her excited squeals.

"Did you like that Princess?" He cooed, blowing another raspberry onto her stomach," Now think you can say 'da-da' Cana, can you? Your Daddy's brilliant little girl Cana, come on say 'da-da'."

As per usual, a spit bubble blown his way by the cheerful baby was her only response. Gildarts only had five more days with her like this, only five more days with his Princess where he could shower her with attention and not have her push him away.

Only five more days for him to have her first word be 'da-da'. Of course, he knew that it wouldn't really be her first word, but he wanted to hear her say it dammit!

Taking a break from his self-assigned quest, he passed Cana her pre-prepared bottle, the infant eagerly latching on. Gildarts had quickly figured out that his baby girl liked her milk at a certain degree of lukewarm and she absolutely would not stand for anything else. Judging by how she hadn't immediately spat the bottle out, he'd gotten it right this time. He studied her for the millionth time as she nursed her bottle peacefully.

She was absolutely perfect. Her tiny head was covered with perfect little chocolate colored curls, shining violet eyes that always sparkled with curiosity at the world, her giggles sounded like chiming bells, and she was faster than Jet once she got to crawling.

Cana released her bottle with a milky burp, Gildarts easily wiping her mouth off, used to the routine by now. She happily babbled away as he settled her onto the blanket that was her play area, all the toys he'd gotten for her laid out from her last play session before dinner. From the routine the last week had established, she'd play for maybe another hour before she tired herself out enough to fall asleep.

The stuffed kangaroo was her favorite, and he had quickly learned to keep it on hand at all times. At the moment she had it by the tail as her other hand messed with one of her blocks, turning it every direction as she examined it.

How had he helped create something this incredible?

The tiny girl looked at her father and held out the block to him, and he joined her on the floor gratefully accepting the offering.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Gildarts said, pressing a kiss onto the crown of her head, and received a sloppy kiss back as the baby tried to mimic her father. Playing with her was such a wonderful thing, though it was definitely approaching her bedtime. As though on cue his best girl yawn widely, showing off the three teeth she had.

"Alright little miss, bedtime," the crash mage scooped his baby up as she started rubbing at her tiny eyes.

The tired girl let out another yawn as she let her father change her for bed- alright maybe he'd gone a bit overboard when buying things for her, Cana had enough outfits that she had not worn the same thing twice in the nine days he'd had her, but he had never gotten to spoil her at this age so there!

The onesie she was wearing had a hood with little puppy ears and a tail, and it actually made her look even cuter than normal- which he had not actually thought was possible! A sleepy tug on his hair got him to look her square in the face, as a tiny hand patted his cheek.

"Da!"

Gildarts froze- did he just hear that right?

"C-can you say that again Cana-darling? Daddy didn't quite hear that."

"Da! Da!" Came the cheerful reply from the sleepy little girl.

Unbidden he felt tears well up in his eyes as he stared at the miracle in his arms.

"Yeah," he croaked, "Yeah, I'm your Daddy."

The baby could barely keep her eyes open, having said her piece. The father took that as his cue to put her down in her crib- and damn had putting that thing together been a pain in the ass. His precious girl had been asleep before he even got her all the way down.

The father just stood there for a while, just watching his child sleep. He may miss the grown-up Cana, and deeply regret not being there the first time to see this. He was never not going to regret not being there to see her birth or her first steps or see her become the amazing woman she was, but he'd gotten to hear her first word and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting to the last of the pre-writers block stories, soon the ones that will go up will be mostly prompt stories (seriously the ones I've been getting are gold: keep 'em coming!). Let me know if I made you squeal, I may add onto this, I might not. Depends if I come up with more, either way have a nice day everybody!


	15. Kangaroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Enough: When Cana sees her best friend go up in smoke... well she doesn't take it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I didn't clarify in the last chapter, this is attached to either 'Sing Me a Song' or 'Process of Elimination'

"Please stop crying sweetheart," Gildarts pleaded, feeling close to tears himself, "Come on Daddy's here, you don't have to cry now."

The unhappy baby continued to bawl from her place in her father's arms. His baby had been completely inconsolable since Natsu had barbecued her kangaroo. Gildarts had taken Cana to the guild to show off that his baby had learned her first word, and while there Natsu had repeatedly kept poking the baby's little cheek- and Cana had whacked him with her kangaroo in retaliation. Any normal person would have just laughed it off and left the baby alone- not Natsu. Somehow the pyro got it in his mind to set the toy on fire.

Needless to say, the baby hadn't taken seeing her best friend's fiery demise very well.

After punching Natsu through a wall, Gildarts had been trying everything he could to get her to calm down. He had tried bouncing her, funny faces, singing (that one hadn't been a really good idea), taking her for a walk, and even ice cream- no dice.

A knock at his front door had the crash mage juggling his screaming baby as he tried to answer it. Upon getting the door open he was met with the sight of an embarrassed Lucy, an annoyed Erza, and the Kangaroo Murderer himself.

"What are you doing here Natsu?" The father growled.

Erza answered tightly, a vein in her forehead visibly throbbing as she shoved the dragon slayer forward," Natsu would like to apologize to Cana for destroying her toy."

"She hit me with it!"

"She's a _baby_ Natsu! Now apologize!" Erza looked as though she dearly wanted to hit him, but as she had been the main enforcer of the 'no fighting in front of the baby' rule, she wasn't eager to be a hypocrite.

Natsu gulped, sweating nervously as he held out a kangaroo toy identical to the one, he had destroyed.

The baby stopped crying at the sight of it, staring disbelievingly at her friend that had somehow managed to come back to her.

"I'm sorry Cana," the dragon slayer said as he offered the toy to the baby.

Cana eyed him suspiciously as she tentatively reached out for her friend, seeming like she half expected Natsu to withhold the plush. Then she quickly snatched it out of the pinkette's hands gripping it to her to chest as though she was trying to protect it from the pyro.

"Thank you Natsu," Gildarts said, relieved that his little princess had stopped crying.

Replacing the toy- why hadn't he thought of that? Oh, right, when Cana cried, he tended to lose all common sense.

Lucy piped up," And Natsu would like to give you something else Cana."

She handed Natsu the peace offering and gave him a little shove as the pinkette held up the stuffed unicorn. The baby once more repeated her routine of staring suspiciously at the pyro, reaching for the toy, and then quickly snatching away.

Gildarts, who was mentally squealing over Cana's adorableness, replied," Thank you for the apology Natsu, I'm sure Cana will love her new toy."

The dragon slayer flushed slightly as the trio set off back towards Magnolia, the peace offering having been accepted. As they walked away Gildarts could hear the girls chewing the dragon slayer out for making the baby so upset, but it was Natsu's reply that made the crash mage's heart stop.

"I don't get what the big deal is, she'll be normal again in a few days, it's not like its going to matter then."

As Gildarts mechanically closed the door to his house, he let that thought sink in. he had almost forgotten that this was temporary, that in three days Cana was going to return to her eighteen-year-old self again. He wasn't going to be able to carry her around or rock her to sleep, she certainly wasn't going to be as attached to her plushy friends.

He placed the baby down onto her blanket, watching as his precious little angel kept her kangaroo clutched in a death grip as she evaluated her new unicorn.

He was going to miss this, these little moments. Cornelia was the love of his life, he would never stop loving her, but right now he couldn't help but resent her. She had known how to contact him, she could've told him that Cana was on the way, but she didn't. Whatever her reasons had been, they had resulted in him missing out on Cana's life. It was his own fault really, he should've gone after her when she left, he should've recognized who Cana was the second he had laid eyes on her.

But none of that mattered, what was done was done, and no amount of regret would change that.

"Da-da?"

At the sound of Cana's sweet little voice, he was drawn out of his thoughts. He looked down to see her looking at him quizzically, curious as to why her daddy wasn't playing with her.

"I'm sorry sweetie, Daddy was being silly," the crash mage cooed as he settled next to her," Are you going to introduce me to your new friend, princess?"

He couldn't change the past, but he could damn well enjoy the present.


	16. In Vino Veritas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cana has one too many, she winds up writing her father a letter of all the words she couldn't say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For cowseatgrass- thank you so damn much for all the awesome ideas, I've got stories coming for a while thanks to you, I don't know where you pulled all of those, but I am having a great time working with everything.
> 
> This one takes place a few days after Gildarts comes back from his quest, but before Edolas.

Cana was drunk.

Now, most members of Fairy Tail would assume that saying that was the same as saying the sky is blue: totally obvious and not at all surprising, but believe it or not it was actually a rarity for her. With a tolerance as high as hers it took a lot to actually get drunk. Buzzed wasn't that hard, tipsy took a bit but was doable- actually getting wasted?

That took a lot.

And she was more wasted than she had been in a long time.

She usually tended to avoid getting totally smashed for two reasons: one, the amount of alcohol it took to get her drunk usually drained her wallet and she'd be working non stop for the next two weeks to pay it off; two, she always pulled really stupid crap under the influence- this time was no exception.

She was writing a letter to Gildarts. No way would she be doing this if she was sober, though even her drunk mind knew that this would never actually get read.

Cana snorted, shaky as she downed shot number… number… oh who knows. Despite teetering a little from her seat at the bar her hand was steady as she moved the pen across the paper; alcohol had always made her more articulate is odd as it was.

Huh, wonder where her father was right now? She hadn't seen him in the guildhall since earlier that day, after he'd thrown Natsu into the wall. Three years was a long time. So many missed opportunities, but absence makes the heart grow fonder or something like that. Maybe she was like this because some part of her subconscious just wanted this whole long mess to be over, to have her father hug her, even just once; that part was tempered by her lack of self esteem and dread of the coming S-class trials (another year, another chance at humiliation).

Cana was tired- just emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. All she wanted was everything to be over so she could rest, and in her drunk mind that meant telling her father, because obviously that would magically make her better.

There, all done. She folded the papers with more dexterity than anyone as smashed as she was had the right to possess, and carefully slipped them into the envelope. She sealed it and neatly wrote her father's name on the outside. Then she just stared. Hard to believe, all the words she couldn't say cradled in her hands- funny how much lighter she felt. Like the mere act of writing her story down lifted a weight off of her chest, even though she was never going to send it. Because let's face it, someone as strong as Gildarts would be ashamed to have someone as weak as her as his kid.

Screw it.

Tears in her eyes Cana blindly snatched the nearest bottle and drained it, barely feeling the burn as the alcohol slid down her throat. She was just so tired… she was… tired.

Her eyes slid closed and the brunette toppled out of her chair and onto the floor- the letter left on the bar as the sleeping beauty was carried home to sober up.

oOOOOo

Gildarts smiled, enjoying the early morning peace. The guildhall was always quiet this early in the morning and hopefully it would last a little longer before the usual Fairy Tail crazy started up again. The man snorted, he was getting old.

"Oh Gildarts!" The man turned to face the white-haired barmaid (little Mira sure had grown up).

"What can I do for you Mira?"

"I found this on the bar when I was locking up last night," the girl explained, holding out an envelope to him," It's addressed to you- so I figured I'd deliver it."

"Huh. Thanks- any idea who its from?" The crash mage asked as he accepted the envelope, well whoever it was from certainly had nice handwriting.

Mirajane just shrugged," My best guess would be Cana- I saw her writing something, but she was so drunk that if it is from her I doubt its anything coherent."

The redheaded man blinked, (oh yeah shy little Cana was an alcoholic now- man things really had changed) before shrugging," Oh well, if its unreadable I'll just ask her later I guess."

As the man headed up the stairs to the second floor, letter in hand, he wondered what this was about. He vaguely remembered that she had tried to tell him something when she was little- maybe that was what this was about? He and Cana had spoken maybe twice in all the years she'd been with the guild, she'd been a sweet kid who had turned into a beautiful woman- but what would she write to him about, especially while drunk?

Though drunk people rarely do rational things… oh well nothing to but read it.

The man carefully slid the contents out of the envelope and started to read.

And he froze.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

oOOOOo

Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Cana was running as fast as she could towards the guild- her legs were burning, and her lungs were screaming but she had to get that damn letter before anyone could read it!

She wasn't drinking for a while after this mess- she always pulled stupid shit when she was smashed but this took the cake!

There was the guild! Okay, it was early, he was probably still at home and the letter was probably still on the bar! She could fix this! The annoying little voice in her head started to ask if it would really be such a bad thing if he read it but she shushed it. She wanted him to know who she really was, she did, but she wanted him to find out on her terms as selfish as it was. Maybe that wasn't fair to him, maybe her mother would have preferred she just come out and say it, but she was a coward by nature.

She burst through the doors of the guild like a bat out of hell and immediately leaped toward the bar. Where was it?! It had to be here?! As she was frantically searching the vicinity of the area for the envelope, the concerned voice of Mira broke her out of her tunnel vision.

"Cana?! Are you oka-" The brunette immediately grabbed the the alarmed barmaid by the shoulders.

"Mira the letter I was working on- where is it?!" The card mage shrieked hysterically shaking the other girl back and forth.

"I-I gave it to Gildarts," the sweet girl stuttered out, not sure what was happening.

Cana let go almost instantly- she had what? This was a nightmare. That was the only explanation. Some vodka-induced nightmare where her world was crashing down.

"What?" She asked dumbly, feeling like she was going to be sick.

"It was addressed- Cana are you okay?" The oldest Strauss asked in concern," What was even in that letter?" What could make her usually unflappable friend act like this?!

"…Cana."

Both women turned, the brunette feeling a weight sinking to the pit of her stomach as she easily recognized the form of Gildarts standing on the stairs to the second floor. The letter was clutched in his hand, and with the way he was looking at her, all guilt and uncertainty… he had definitely read it.

He knew. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

oOOOOo

What do you say when life changing information is revealed? What do you say to the daughter you never knew you had? What do you say to the father who never knew you existed? This was the conundrum that Cana and Gildarts found themselves in.

For his part Gildarts was just staring at his daughter, wondering how he had never noticed the signs- she looked just like her mother for God's sake! He had unknowingly hurt his child, ignoring her in favor of the other children for years. But how was it, how was it that he loved her so much already- how over the course of a few minutes this girl became the most important person in the world?

"Cana… I-I swear I didn't know. Your mom- Conny never told me-" He was cut off by a raised hand from the brunette.

"I know that she didn't," She said shortly, this wasn't how she had ever wanted this conversation to happen, but she would just have to deal with it. "This- this was not how I wanted you to find out. I had actually promised myself that if I made S-class I would tell you, because I thought that you wouldn't want someone as weak as me-"

She was cut off when suddenly she was being pressed against the crash mage's chest, his strong arms holding her tightly to him. This was nice. She felt… protected.

"I always wanted a little girl," Gildarts started, tears beginning to gather in his eyes," I-I told your mom that when we talked about kids… Cornelia was the only woman I ever truly loved. I let her slip away eighteen years ago- I never knew I had a child. Cana… I don't know if I even have the right to ask you this: can I be part of your life? Will you let me be your Dad?"

"…That's all I've ever wanted." The brunette admitted softly, wrapping her own arms around him and burying her face into his chest.

What do you know- she could make good decisions when she was drunk. Writing that letter was probably the best decision she'd made in a while- she just wished that she'd done it sooner.

"Can I call you Dad?"

"Sweetheart- I'd love that so much."

Neither was sure how long they stayed like that, maybe minutes, maybe hours spent in peaceful silence. There were things that needed to be discussed, issues that needed to be dealt with, but all that could wait until later. All that mattered right now was that the father made sure the daughter knew that she was loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to capture just how little Cana thinks of herself here. She puts up an incredible front, but she is so insecure its incredible- that's why she is my favorite character. It takes a lot of bravery to stand up against monsters, but when those monsters are teaming up with your own self-doubt... that makes someone truly strong and Cana has largely defeated her demons. I really hope I hit this, please let me know how you think I did.


	17. Omake 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy is forced to give Cana a pep talk before the big reveal to Gildarts goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when you watch every single Scooby-Doo movie ever made in a row and then immediately watch ‘The Right to Love’ after. This is just crack, but I kept laughing my ass off every time I tried to write this down- how I think the pep talk before Cana told Gildarts went.  
> I have no excuse for this… just a sugar rush and a lot of movies. If any of you have seen the second live action Scooby Doo movie then you probably know exactly which scene this was inspired by.

They knew that Gildarts had taken Natsu fishing at a specific point on the island, so off to the point they went. It was high time that Cana bit the bullet and told her father the truth, and she had Lucy cheering her on, she could this this. The two girls were halfway to their destination when Cana suddenly stopped short.

“You know what? I’ve changed my mind.” The card mage said sharply as she turned to the opposite direction,” I can’t do this.”

“What?!” Lucy asked incredulously, staring at the other girl with wide eyes,” Cana! You have to tell him- if not for your sake then for his!” The blonde was not about to let her friend chicken out when she’d made it so close.

“Yeah- but its my secret and you know what maybe I’m okay with him not knowing!” Cana said sharply as she started to walk back the way they had come.

“I know you don’t mean that!”

“Yes, I do! I- what if he doesn’t want me? Or something else happens?! Or what if- “

SLAP!

Cana’s head snapped to the side and she blinked raising a hand to her stinging cheek. “I needed that.” She admitted.

SLAP!

“I needed that too.”

BAM!

“YOU’RE PUSHING YOUR LUCK LU!”

“Has my point been made?” The blonde snapped testily- Cana had been torturing herself with this secret for years now and Lucy was going to help her even if it meant dragging the other girl in front of Gildarts and telling him herself.

Cana exhaled, all the fight leaving her,” Yeah. Yeah you did.”

“Cana… I know that you’re probably scared and that’s okay- but could you live with yourself if you never told him?” Lucy asked softly,” You’ve been trying to find your Dad for years, did you ever think maybe he’s been trying to find you too?”

“What do you mean?” The brunette asked in confusion, not following her friend’s logic.

“We know that Gildarts goes on all those crazy missions, maybe he’s been trying to find some kind of purpose, some kind of meaning to life,” Lucy said passionately.

The brunette stopped and stared at the celestial wizard for a good few minutes, before snorting,” I really doubt that- I think its more because like most guys he just wants to prove he’s macho enough to pull it off.”

And the blonde had to give her that one,” Okay you’re probably right, but if nothing else, you need to get this off your chest.” She put one hand on Cana’s shoulder, gently turning her back around to the direction they were heading in before.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah… I think I am.”

Later, when Cana was being held in her father’s arms for the very first time, she made a mental note to thank Lucy later, her friend was right she’d really needed this. Though she could have done without the punch.


	18. The Child He Would Never Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts finds out that one of his fling's had an abortion and Cana overhears his pain about having a child he never had a chance to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mention of abortion
> 
> For cowseatgrass- they gave me a list of pure gold and I am doing my best to do them proud. Please let me know if you think I nailed it and if I didn't then I humbly apologize.

There were probably better ways to handle your problems then drinking, Gildarts mused as he stared at the amber liquid in his glass before throwing it back. Yeah there were better ways to handle this, but right now all that mattered to him was getting drunk.

"What's eating you Gildarts?" The crash mage groggily looked up to see Makarov sitting on the bar next to him (when had he gotten there?)," You've been drinking for hours and you've been projecting a black cloud around you all day."

Oh, yeah that would probably get the old man concerned.

"I-I got a message from… well we slept together but there wasn't really a relationship- is there a term for that? It feels like there should be a term for that- "

"Gildarts." The old man said firmly, looking at him in concern.

"She got pregnant and… and she got an abortion. She just felt… she said she thought I deserved to know."

He understood the sentiment, but he really wished that she hadn't told him. That he was going to be a father until suddenly he wasn't. It was her choice and he would never have tried to talk her out of it- he wasn't the one having the kid so he didn't have a say, but damn it all, the only thing he could think about right now were could-have-beens.

He was never going to hold his child, was never going to see them smile, or hear them laugh. He'd get over it eventually, but right now… right now there was a baby that he was never going to see.

The guildmaster was looking at Gildarts with sympathy," I'm so sorry." The man said softly, and he meant it. Makarov remembered when Gildarts and Cornelia had still been together, remembered how the two had talked about children- back then all Gildarts had wanted was to raise a family with the love of his life, and when everything had fallen apart, the crash mage had buried those dreams along with the pain.

The Ace smiled a little at the shorter man," I'll be okay Master. It's just… right now it hurts. It hurts that I could have been a father and now that child is never going to be born… its just the thoughts of what could have happened- I probably wouldn't have even been a good father- "

He was cut off.

"Gildarts you would have been a fantastic father." The minuscule guildmaster said firmly, leaving no room for doubt," Any child of yours would have grown up to be one of the happiest children to ever live and I know you would have made sure that they would be one of the most well-loved children to ever live."

The crash mage was just looking at Makarov- did he really think that?

The older man patted the younger's hand," It hurts right now, but it won't last forever. If you need to talk, I'll be right here," he promised.

Gildarts blinked back tears," Thank you master." He said hoarsely, before leaving the guildhall for the night. What neither man had noticed was the dark-haired young girl hiding by the wall, lost in thought after the conversation she had just overheard- she had some thinking to do.

oOOOOo

Gildarts had stayed up most of the night, his mind too restless to sleep.

He was thinking about the baby, he was thinking about its mother, but more than anything he was thinking about Conny.

When he'd married Conny, he had been thinking about the future they would have. He'd been thinking of a house, of a thousand adventures to far off places, of late nights and early mornings, but more than anything he'd thought of children.

He'd pictured red-haired, purple-eyed little boys and dark-haired, dark-eyed little girls. He had visions of laying beside Conny at night and feeling a tiny form shift beneath her skin. He had wanted those children so badly, and then everything fell apart. When Conny had left, he had packed up those dreams and buried them- he just wouldn't have any children if they weren't with her. Well, in a roundabout way he'd been right, he definitely wouldn't be having a child now.

That… that really hurt. He'd never get to have 'Rebecca' or 'Arcana', or even have a need to come up with a boy's name- he'd just have to accept it and move on. You didn't need to have children or be married in order to be happy; he'd just have to learn how to be happy with what he had.

He wasn't sure how he was going to do that yet, but he would eventually.

oOOOOo

The next day the crash mage was better, not alright, but… functional. He'd been laughing at whatever terrible story Natsu was telling trying to impress Lisanna (he was rooting for the kid he really was), when Cana had come up to him a serious look on her face.

"Gildarts, I-I need to talk to you- please." The girl said losing her confidence as her shyness took over, she was so cute (she actually looked a lot like what he had imagined a child between Conny and him would look like).

"Oh really?" He asked playfully, before standing up," Well I've actually been needing to stretch my legs- you're welcome to come along with me." He offered, seeing the brunette nod.

"I- I'd like that." She squeaked, damn someone really needed to help her with that shyness.

The two headed out of the guild and after walking for a while in silence the crash mage looked down at the ten-year-old," What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked curiously, he hadn't ever really talked to Cana before and wasn't sure where this was going.

"I-I heard you and master yesterday about-about your baby," the girl started softly, fidgeting in place. His heart sank, he hadn't realized anyone was listening- and now he had an idea where this was going, Cana wanted to say sorry about the baby or apologize for overhearing them. "I-I heard you say that you were upset that you would never know them, and I- well I felt you need to know-" The girl cut herself off before starting again," I- I came to the guild to look for my father, to- to find you."

"What?" He said dumbly- had she just- did she mean what he thought she meant?!

The girl flinched slightly, " I-I know its probably hard to believe," she said softly," Before- before my Mama died she told me who you were and where to find you if the worst happened… and when she died I came here to find you. I-I tried to tell you but-" He hadn't even been aware that he'd moved, but suddenly he was on his knees and holding her against him, her face buried in his neck as she sniffled.

She was- Cana was-

"Who- Cana this is going to sound terrible and I'm sorry, but who's your mother?" Why hadn't she told him? He would have stepped up! He could've been there when she was born-

"Her name was Cornelia."

He couldn't breathe.

Conny? Conny had been- Conny had his-?

He pulled Cana away from him just enough so he could look her in the eyes, but damn it he could see it. He'd thought it before, but now he was faced with the reality that this was real- that she wasn't just a fantasy anymore. "Conny was your mom?" He needed clarification, he needed to know if this was really happening.

The brunette nodded," Yeah she was."

He had a daughter; he had a shy little girl who never liked to be the center of attention (where had she gotten that from?). But where did the name 'Cana' come from? That hadn't been one of the ones they'd picked.

"It's my nickname."

Oh, he must have said that out loud.

"Let me guess, your real name's Arcana, right?" He said lightly, this was happening.

The little girl shook her head," That's my middle name," she explained," My first name is Rebecca- but Mama was the only one that called me that."

Conny had- after everything that happened, she had named her-?

He pulled Cana (Rebecca- he had a little girl named Rebecca) into his arms, taking care not to squeeze too hard, she was fragile. He kept whispering promises into her hair, that he was going to take care of her from now on, she was going to come live with him so they could be a family, and he was never going to let her go.

"Can I call you Daddy?"

He almost sobbed," Of-of course you can Princess." She was going to call him Daddy. He was a Daddy now. Oh God if this was just a dream he never wanted to wake up! He hadn't been this happy in such a long time, everything was different in such a wonderful way.

He had a child, and he'd be damned if he ever took her for granted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record I'm pro-choice and I'm going to ask that nobody try to start a fight about abortion: you won't change my mind and I won't change yours, any fuss beyond that is just a waste of time and energy.


	19. Joined at the Hip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prank gone wrong results in everybody who share blood in the guild stuck to their family member, but Gildarts and Cana aren't related- right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For cowseatgrass, another excellent idea I had fun working with.

Natsu and Happy stared poleaxed at the scene below- it was pure chaos, just not the kind that they had planned. Everyone was supposed to be changing colors like mood rings- why were people sticking together?

Natsu could spot distinctive pairs amid all the screaming, swearing, and panicked scrambling. It seemed like as soon as the potion crashed down over their heads some people had been violently pulled from their places in the room towards each other like magnets, ending in some pretty painful collisions, and some panic as they realized that they were stuck together. Laxus and Gramps were connected back to back, with Laxus violently trying to shake the old man off, despite his grandfather's desperate attempts to get him to stop. Romeo and Macao were joined at the hip- literally. Macao had been carrying the toddler on his hip when they got splashed with the potion and now, he couldn't put his boy down.

As Natsu scanned the crowd he spotted Cana and Gildarts, awkwardly joined at the arm and shoulder respectively- those two had one of the more violent collisions, with Cana getting a good knock to the head- and now they were trying and failing to pull themselves apart. However, it was Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman that had made the oddest set; Elfman, who had tried to shield his sisters from the downpour had wound up landing on top of them- and now both girls were attached to their brother's chest.

Still… why wasn't anybody changing color? That dude had totally ripped him off! He was gonna go back there, beat him up, and get his money back!

"ENOUGH!" Makarov roared, growing in size until he towered over everyone, Laxus appearing comically small in the position his grandfather had been in moments before. "Everyone calm down- we will figure this out!"

The giant suddenly swung his head around to face Natsu and Happy on their perch on top of one of the light fixtures, his eyes burning with fury," Natsu! What did you do?" He growled, making the wide-eyed troublemakers gulp in fear.

"H-hi Gramps," Natsu said nervously, a bead of sweat dripping down his face as he tried to look innocent, Happy on the other hand…

"It was his idea! He made me help!" The cat wailed, trying to gain sympathy, though a raised eyebrow from the giant made the cat's wails turn into actual sobs.

They weren't getting out of this one.

"It- it was just supposed to make you all change color!" Natsu blurted out, " I-I don't- that dude must have given me the wrong one!"

"NATSU WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Mirajane screamed in rage.

At the She-Devil's roar both Natsu and Happy tried to make a break for it, only to fly right into Makarov's hands- literally.

The guildmaster then shrank in size, dropping the troublemakers onto the floor as he did. After he had returned to his normal size he called out," Everyone… _attached_ , please come over here."

It took a few minutes with everyone moving awkwardly, and while they gathered the miniature man called out to a man with a circle of skulls around his neck," Nab! Can you go get Porlyusica? She might be able to sort this out."

The man nodded and immediately left to get the pink-haired healer.

Everyone not affected by… whatever it was the potion had done, moved to get dried off, while those affected were standing around the troublemakers to begin the interrogation. After they moved through the obvious questions- where did you get it, how much did you use, etc., they all turned toward each other.

"What I can't figure out is just what this is," Macao said offhand as he was trying to calm the fussing toddler who wanted to get down (the man knew it was only a matter of time before a full tantrum started).

"Well… the only thing that I can think of is that it connected people who are related to each other, but…" Lisanna trailed off as everyone tried and failed not to stare at the pair of Cana and Gildarts, the unsaid 'but you two aren't related' heard loud and clear.

Cana swallowed before speaking up," That's exactly what happened as far as I can tell." The girl's quiet response caused everyone to blink and stare at the brunette.

"Wait… are you saying that we're- "Gildarts started genuinely surprised (if he and the card mage were related, how come this was the first he was hearing about this?), but was interrupted by Cana.

"Can… can we please go somewhere quiet Gildarts?" She asked, nervously picking at her palms.

The man blinked," …Sure. Let's go to the backroom… we can talk there."

They got curious looks from everyone as they headed back, but thankfully no one said anything.

"So…. How are we related?" The crash mage asked curiously- he didn't know anything about where he had come from… so how did Cana know for sure that they shared blood?

"I-"the girl stopped for a second, before visibly steeling herself to continue," I'm your daughter."

Huh?! Had she just-? What?!

Gildarts wasn't sure what his face looked like, but it was enough for the girl (his girl) to let out a self-deprecating snort," Yeah… I guess its pretty hard to believe." She muttered bitterly.

"Which one's your mother?" He blurted out before he could stop himself, the faces of all his flings over the years running through his head- one of them had his kid! Why hadn't she told him?!

"You find out you have a kid and that's the first thing out of your mouth?!" She snapped, the hurt visible on her face as she hastily scrubbed the welling tears away with her sleeve.

Cana futilely tried to tug herself away from the Ace, willing whatever adhesive that had stuck them together to loosen.

That reaction made Gildarts snap into action as whatever parental instincts he had kicked into gear. He sat them both on the floor and pulled her into him, holding Cana to his chest until she calmed down. His thoughts were still racing, but this was his daughter and he had to make sure that she was comfortable before anything else.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked her gently a few minutes later. Had she thought that he wouldn't be a good dad?

"I tried. I've been trying for years." She sniffled again, leaning into her father's body," Its just… something always happened, and I couldn't get the words out."

She had- the father tightened his hold on his daughter, she had come to the guild when she was a little bitty thing- had she been trying to tell him ever since then?

"Cana… I'm so sorry." He said in a watery voice as tears of his own began building. If it hadn't been for Natsu's prank backfiring like this- how long would it have taken for her to tell him? Would she ever have been able to tell him?

How long would he unknowingly have hurt her; how long would he have neglected his own child? How was he going to make up for lost time? How many moments had he missed out on?

"Cornelia," Cana said suddenly, throwing her father for a loop.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"My mom, her name was Cornelia." The girl said, feeling her father stiffen, looking up to see his shell-shocked expression.

Conny? Conny was-? Conny had his-?

"Where did 'Cana' come from?"

"Huh?" the girl asked not following.

"It- you- we- we talked about names, if we ever had kids I mean." The man rambled.

The violet eyed girl blinked before responding, "It's my nickname. My real name is Rebecca actually."

Gildarts felt the tears begin to fall in his shock at his daughter's name. After everything that had happened- Conny had named her Rebecca.

"Rebecca- that's actually a name that I picked out," he explained to his child," Conny hated it. Eventually I managed to get her to agree that if we ever had a little girl her middle name would be Rebecca…" he trailed off, but Cana got the message.

"You know… Mama was the only one who called me Rebecca. Everyone else called me Cana, but not her."

"Cana...will you let me be your dad?"

"I-I'd like that."

The two sat together for a while, taking comfort in each other's presence. Gildarts was silently swearing that he was going to make sure she never felt sad again, that they were going to be a family from then on, and they would always be together.

"… Are you ready to go back in there?"

"Yeah, yeah I think I am… Dad."

The red haired man felt more tears well up at the title she had granted him, before suddenly scooping her up into his arms (a bit awkward since his forearm was still connected to her shoulder), causing her to let out a light yelp," Its time to make up for lost time."

He cheerfully carried her back into the main hall," GUESS WHAT LUCKY GUY JUST FOUND OUT HE'S A DADDY!"

oOOOOo

Cana was pretty sure that her cheeks were never going to go back to a normal color. Gildarts had been excitedly showing her off to the entire guild, gushing about how perfect she was, and refusing to put her down for about an hour now.

Where the hell was Porlyusica? She wanted to go hide for a bit from just how lovey-dovey he was being (okay, deep down she kind of loved this, but it was a bit much).

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

Porlyusica walked through the doors, her usual aura of irritation pushing most humans back by about ten feet. Cana didn't care- the prickly healer was a god send right then.

"What did that little brat do this time?" The woman growled, raising an eyebrow at the fused pairs, more specifically at the dopey look on the Ace's face as he happily cradled the card mage.

Makarov tapped Laxus on the shoulder to get him to turn around so he could face the pink haired woman," Natsu poured a color-change potion onto the guild and obviously something went wrong."

"I can see that," The woman snarked, before asking an obvious question to the dragon slayer," Do you have the bottles it came in?"

The boy blinked before nodding, grabbing it from the hiding spot under the table and handing it to the older woman who turned it over in her hands for a moment before snorting.

"Tell me boy- did you get this on sale?"

"Yeah why?" The confused boy answered.

Another snort," Because this expired three years ago- if you'd gotten it full price I would've recommended you sue the shop, but since those wretched humans sold it at all, I suggest you do it anyway."

Everything stopped what they were doing, before everyone (except of course for Romeo- the toddler was sleeping off his tantrum) facepalmed in unison. An expired potion. All this happened because Natsu didn't check the expiration date on the potion he got for cheap?

The pink haired woman rolled her eyes as she pulled a spray bottle out of her bag," Alright- line up."

"Uhm… what is that?" Macao asked nervously.

"It's a general reversal- this doesn't work we try something more drastic." The cranky woman answered.

Makarov and Laxus were the ones to take one for the team, letting themselves get sprayed down with the caustic smelling stuff. Almost immediately Makarov fell off of his grandson's back, much to everyone's relief.

As soon as they knew that it worked, all the others were immediately trying to push forward, and the pink haired woman separated Macao and Romeo, before moving on to the Strauss siblings- Mirajane immediately lunging for the dragon slayer with murder in her eyes, the boy only narrowly escaping by the skin of his teeth.

"Dad- Dad come on!" Cana urged her father, who was trying to avoid going forward, she just wanted to go shower before her dance class and he wasn't helping (though it did make her inner child insanely happy that he was so interested in her).

"But- but Daddy doesn't want to let you go Princess," he wailed rubbing his cheek against hers like some kind of cat.

"Tough." Cana snapped," I have a class I need to get changed for and a piano session after that- go ahead and undo it."

"Class?" Gildarts asked in unison with everyone in earshot.

The annoyed girl rolled her eyes," I take ballet classes four days a week." She snapped.

"My little girl is a ballerina?" Gildarts cooed excitedly, spinning her around (he wondered how long she'd been doing it- were there any pictures he could have?).

"Yes- and I need to get my stuff, class starts in an hour," she growled, but thankfully Gildarts finally let Porlyusica spray them down (damn that stuff was _nasty_ ).

Despite no longer being stuck together, Gildarts still refused to put her down, heading out the doors of the guild, Cana in tow.

"Well let's go sweetheart, have to get you ready for class- I'll sit with you until its over and then we can bond! Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Not really- put me down! Do you even know where I live?"

"Nope, that's why you need to give me directions Princess."

"For the love of-! Oh alright, keep going down this road and make a right…"

Everyone stared at the retreating father daughter pair- it had been quite the surprise to find out that Cana was the daughter of Gildarts Clive, but after seeing the two together… everyone was left wondering how they had never realized the truth before.

Gildarts was already becoming a wonderful father and they had never seen Cana as happy as she was now. Nothing was ever going to be the same again, and that was a good thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to put that bit at the end, I have this headcannon that Gildarts would show off Cana like Maes Hughes showed off Elysia- and my attempts to do a scene like that haven't really been coming out that well, but I thought that this came out cute. And if anyone is curious as to how old everyone is- I have no idea. Cana is 14–16 at least, but I couldn't pick anything definitive. I felt like my reveals were getting a little repetitive, this was my attempt at breaking my patterns.


	20. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts is that dad- the one who spies on his daughter on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This popped into my head and I had to write it down!

Under any other circumstances, a man hiding in a bush with a pair of binoculars spying on a young lady would be suspicious at best and downright predatory at worst; Gildarts was very aware that most would see this as overkill- but this was his baby girl and it was his responsibility to make sure she was okay!

When his little Princess mentioned that she had to plans to go out for dinner over breakfast that morning, he hadn't initially been concerned. She was always running around with the other kids and spending the nights together as a group wasn't unusual. However, when he stopped by the guild that afternoon, he found out that this was not the case. His baby was on a (he shuddered just thinking about the word) … _date_.

She was too young for boys- what in the name of everything holy did she think she was doing?! More importantly- who did that scrawny little punk think he was!

Was he putting his arm arou- how dare he put his arm around her!

And why was Cana letting him do it? He'd obviously been lapse in explaining the dangers of the male species, he'd rectify that later.

He'd been young once- he knew how teenage boys thought- first it was putting your arm around them, then it escalated to an 'innocent' peck, and then… it made him feel faint just thinking about it. His little princess was too innocent to understand what this punk was trying to do.

The pair had gone from dinner to a quiet walk around the park (Cana had the hip pouch he'd given her for her cards at least- little shit tried anything she'd blast him to the moon). Times like this he dearly regretted not being able to read lips- who knew what that little creep was saying to his little girl?

Wait what was-

All of a sudden, the sense of paternal pride Gildarts always felt in her swelled exponentially as she punched the little shit in the jaw and walked off leaving him lying there. That was his girl!

Now to go wait for her at home, after that she probably understood that boys weren't worth it and hopefully with a little effort the lesson would stick.

He should be the only man in her life, at least until one he approved of came along (and let's face it that was probably never going to happen).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Just in case anyone is curious- the boy isn't in Fairy Tail. And I couldn't decide what she punched him over, though I was leaning toward him asking about how he could get together with Erza or Mirajane.


	21. So Much for Happy Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all stories have happy endings. Cana never went to Tenrou Island and she led the guild when everyone was presumed dead. Shortly after she gives birth to her first child everyone comes back, and even after everything that has happened, she still can't bring herself to say the words. Shortly after the Infinity Clock, Cana is killed on a job gone wrong, and leaves everyone wondering who is going to raise her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Character death and guilt, bittersweet ending at best

Seven years. It had been seven years since the destruction of Tenrou Island. Seven years of moving on and accepting death- and they were alive, everyone was alive. This was the greatest day in Cana's life since Henry had been born.

Things had been rocky at first, loosing the majority of their heavy hitters had affected the Guild's standing, but losing a large piece of their family had been devastating to their morale. Suddenly she had been the most powerful wizard in Fairy Tail and everyone had needed a rock to lean on, so she had stepped up.

It had taken a lot of work to keep everything a float and Fairy Tail still had lost prominence, but it was nowhere near as bad as it could have been.

The last few years had been eye opening for her. She had discovered that she was a lot stronger than she had ever thought. Before she would never even have dreamed about being guildmaster, but look where she was now- a mother of a stunning little boy, respected by the other Master's, a powerhouse in her own right, and by being the leader the guild had needed, she had been able to pay back the kindness they had shown her all those years ago. She was confident in herself in a way that she had never thought she could be.

Gildarts… he was her father, she knew that, but her measure of self worth shouldn't have relied on his approval. It had taken her a while to accept that and to start getting stronger for herself and for her family, and later to be the mother her son could be proud of.

As she looked around at the celebration around her, at the faces she never thought she would see again in this life, Cana found herself totally content.

It didn't matter if he didn't know that he was her father, she could deal with that. She had everything she could ever need, it would be selfish to ask for anything else.

It was such a perfect day.

oOOOOo

It was such a terrible day.

They had thought the worst was over, that after the infinity clock fiasco things would be looking up and everyone would live happily ever after. Boy were they wrong.

Cana was dead.

Strong, beautiful, confident Cana who had lead the guild through its darkest times. Patient Cana, who had always been there willing to listen and with a shoulder to cry on if you needed one. Magnificent Cana who had loved everyone so fiercely. She was gone and her son was an orphan.

Beautiful little Henry, who had been the apple of his mother's eye, was going to grow up without her. The only way he would know his mother would be through stories and pictures- and that just wasn't fair.

"What's going to happen to him now?" Romeo quietly asked his father, watching his surrogate nephew sleep peacefully in his basket.

Macao hesitated a moment," Well… I know Cana left instructions on who would take care of him in case… in case the worst happened."

"Can we take him?" The boy asked, Cana had been the closest thing he had to a sister, Henry was his nephew, it was only right that they took care of him.

"I-I would like to," the fire mage admitted," But we have to follow Cana's wishes, if whoever she picked can't do it, then yes. We are going to take him." They owed Cana that after all she had done to keep this family together.

"Either way Romeo, we are going to be part of his life. I think that goes for everyone in the guild. We all love him so much and we loved Cana so much- everything… everything will work out. I promise."

The young man nodded, not taking his eyes off the sleeping baby- Henry didn't know that Cana was gone yet, and at five months old, he wouldn't understand even when he did. The thought that this boy was going to grow up without a single memory of his mother was a hard pill to swallow.

The world could be such a cruel place.

oOOOOo

"Gildarts- can you come here a moment?"

The man looked up at the sound of his name and headed over to where Makarov was sitting. The old man seemed to have aged twenty years in the last two days, and the crash mage could sympathize.

He hadn't been close to Cana like the other's had been, but that didn't mean her death hadn't affected him.

That little girl he distantly remembered had grown up to be one of the most fantastic mages anyone had ever seen, she had rallied everyone together when it had seemed hopeless, and she had been an incredible mother to her little boy. It… it was a life ended too soon and that was how Gildarts mourned it as.

"What's up?" The crash mage quietly asked the newly reinstated guildmaster, who sighed heavily.

"When I went through Cana's desk to find a copy of her will, I found this." The older man handed the Ace an envelope with the man's name written on it, blinking he accepted it. "There was a caveat in her will that stated that she wanted you to read this before anything else could be done."

What could this be about, Gildarts wondered. He and Cana had spoken maybe five times- what could be so important that she had put it in her will for him to read this?

"Thanks… I'll read it and get back to you all," the red headed man promised, walking over to an empty table. Sitting down he carefully slid the papers out of the envelope and began to read.

_Dear Gildarts,_

_Let me preface this by saying I am so sorry for what you are about to read, but I know I would not be able to rest peacefully if you didn't know the truth._

_The reason I joined the guild was to find my father, to find you. I don't know if you remember her, but my mother's name was Cornelia, before she died, she told me who you were and how to find you. And when I came to the guild, I knew who you were almost immediately, but the truth about who I was to you became the words I couldn't say._

_I tried to tell you so many times, but things just kept getting in the way. Eventually, eventually I became convinced that I wasn't worthy enough to be your daughter, that you would be disappointed that I wasn't as strong as Erza or Mirajane- I didn't give you enough credit and for that I apologize. I promised myself that I would tell you who I was when I made S-class, but of course that never wound up happening._

_Then Tenrou Island was destroyed, and we thought all of you were dead. I just, stopped caring. You were gone and I would never get to tell you the truth, that broke me badly, but I had to move on. I had people depending on me, who needed a leader, and I had to become that person for them. Then later I had my son, and he became the center of my entire world, and while I was sad that he would never meet his grandfather, I was totally content._

_Then you all came home. Finding out that all of you were alright, it was one of the happiest moments of my life, but I still didn't tell you. I have no excuses for that, beyond that I had kept this secret for twenty years and it didn't seem fair to tell you now when I no longer needed you. The truth was that I was just too weak to say the words- because they were always the words I couldn't say, time didn't change that._

_I'm so sorry._

_I'm sorry for never telling you the truth, because keeping this secret was not fair to you. You deserved to know that you had a child, and you deserved to know that you had a grandchild- I took away so many moments and I regret that dearly. And more than anything I am sorry that I am telling you all this now, when I am gone, because now you have a child to mourn. I understand if you hate me for all of this, if our positions were reversed, I don't know how I would feel._

_And I am not sure if I have the right, but I have a request. My son needs someone to raise him, and I would like for it to be by you: Henry deserves to have his grandfather in his life, and you deserve to be in his. I understand that this is a lot to ask and I understand if you do not want to raise him, but please make sure he knows who you are to him at least. Because he deserves to know his own story._

_I'm sorry for all that I have done against you and I want you to know that I am so glad I knew you_ _Dad._

_Sincerely,_

_Rebecca Arcana Alberona_

Gildarts couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, in the span of a few paragraphs his entire world had crumbled to pieces and he had no idea what to do in the aftermath.

oOOOOo

He was a father. _Was_ in past tense. His child was dead. His beautiful, intelligent, magnificent daughter was dead and gone before he had ever had the chance to know her.

What was he supposed to do? He needed someone or something to tell him what to do.

Conny had his baby, twenty-five years ago the love of his life had his baby and she had never told him. All these years he had a daughter right in front of him and he had never realized it.

He had missed out on so many moments. He wouldn't know which tooth she lost first, he had never been able to fuss over her when she was sick, he hadn't been able to rock her to sleep or buy her a toy she loved. He hadn't been there when she had first begun learning magic, he hadn't seen her grow to become the magnificent woman she had been.

How hard had it been for her? To see him be a father to all the other children except for her. To see her father blatantly ignore her, to never give her the time of day. He had hurt his own child worse than any torture could have managed.

And he couldn't hug her. He couldn't apologize for all the things he had missed, all the things he had never done, he couldn't promise to do better, he wouldn't be able to get to know her or be there for her. Because she was dead. His baby was dead and cold.

And her baby was never going to know her. His grandson was only going to know his mother from stories, he would know _of_ her, but he wouldn't know her. He would know his mother as the youngest guildmaster in Fairy Tail history, he would know her as 'kind', 'intelligent', and 'strong'. He would know that she adored him, but he wouldn't know that she loved him so much that she created a halo around the two of them. That everyone could feel the amount of joy her baby gave her.

Henry would never know his mother and that just wasn't fair.

In that moment the crash mage made a silent vow to himself, he had failed his daughter, but he would be damned if he would fail his grandson.

He was going to raise him to be a man that his mother would have been proud of and every single day he would make sure Henry knew how much he loved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was so heavy guys, its just not every fairy tale has a happy ending, and that goes the same for this. I love the father-daughter fluff so much, but I got inspired for this one and had to write it down. Don't ask me who Henry's father is because I honestly don't know, and as for what killed her, I don't know that either. I promise the next story will be happier though.


	22. Take a Hint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Gildarts gets drunk he mistakes Cana for Cornelia, and while Cana is firm in her desire to only tell him if she makes S-class… well if she dropped a hint and he figured it out for himself she'd be okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Misunderstandings, drunken idiocy ending in a face plant in an awkward spot, the beginning is going to sound really bad but I swear its not as bad as it sounds.
> 
> This one came up totally randomly while I was picking up my cat from the vet (he got snipped- now he is the world's angriest satellite dish), I just started writing it down and laughing my ass of as I did! In my mind Cana's inability to spit out the secret could be something she got from Gildarts and I have him trying to figure out how to tell her and spend time with her at the same time.

Gildarts let out a groan as he slowly woke up to a familiar headache. He definitely over did it. Carefully, he attempted to open his gummed-over eyes and immediately snapped them shut. Bad idea, bad idea. Who the hell turned on the sun that bright?

Ah hangovers, the crash mage definitely had not missed it.

Slowly forcing his body to sit up, regretting every decision he had made that lead him to this point, Gildarts cracked open his eyes again, squinting hard against the light. Huh? Was he hallucinating or was Master Makarov actually sitting in a beat-up rocking chair at the foot of the bed?

"Good morning Gildarts." Oh no, he sounded _pissed_ \- what the fuck happened last night?

"Uh… morning Master." The hungover man said hesitantly.

The old man raised an eyebrow at the Ace (he was so screwed) before slamming a stack of papers almost as tall as he was onto the side table with a thud. The crash mage winced at both the sound and the pile.

"Someone had an exciting night." The guildmaster growled, "These are the bills from all the damage you caused on your bender last night."

Gildarts winced again… that was a lot of paperwork this time. He always got messed up when this time of year rolled around, but… but last night had been especially bad. Yesterday had been his wedding anniversary. Eighteen years ago, he had married the love of his life and she had left him two years later.

"And that's not even the worst of it!" Makarov snapped angrily, eyes flashing," You causing property damage- that's forgivable, but assaulting another guild member-!"

"I did what?" Gildarts interrupted incredulously.

Makarov glared at him with enough force to melt steel, gritting his teeth as he answered." Apparently, you mistook Cana for Cornelia and then proceeded to kiss her, after which you then proceeded to collapse on top of her- your face was in her breasts Gildarts." To say Makarov was furious would be an understatement; just seeing how shaken up the card mage had been in the aftermath had broken his heart. He might let Gildarts get away with a lot- but this was totally unforgivable.

Gildarts was in a state of shock. He had-? Cana was a goddamned _child_ and he had done that to her? This was… whatever Master was going to do to him it wouldn't be enough.

"Is she okay?" He blurted out.

Makarov glared again, but responded," A little shaken up, but otherwise she's alright." The man grumbled.

The crash mage was relived, he'd take his beating from Master like a man and then he would get down on his knees and beg Cana for forgiveness.

oOOOOo

Later on, when he was sore in places, he hadn't known he could be sore, he approached the card mage where she was sitting with the other girls- all of whom immediately closed ranks around her glaring at him.

Cana herself seemed an odd combination of exasperated and uncomfortable, though she refused to look him in the eye.

The Ace exhaled before beginning his apology," Cana… I am so **so** sorry. That… I know it sounds cheap but what I did- it was beyond unforgivable." He was stumbling slightly over his words not sure how to approach this.

"' _Sorry_ '?" Mirajane snarled," You shove your tongue in her mouth, grope her, and you're _sorry_?!"

"Mira!" Cana snapped at the white-haired girl," For the last time- that's not what happened! Look- can you guys just give us some space?" The brunette looked totally done with everyone present.

The request made all the girls stare at her.

"After what he did- "Lisanna started, only to be cut off by a frustrated card mage.

"He didn't do anything! And even if he did- if anybody knows about drunken stupidity its me. Let me handle this." It was times like this everyone saw the young woman that was an S-class mage in all but name; the leader, the strong-minded young woman that could speak with an authority that made people listen.

Suddenly Gildarts saw exactly how he had mistaken her for Cornelia. With that presence combined with her physical appearance he was suddenly transported back twenty years- helping rescue victims of an earthquake with Conny barking out orders about where to prioritize the search and rescue teams. Damn… he was actually kind of surprised that he had never seen the resemblance before.

After the girls had backed off Gildarts once again opened his mouth to apologize, only to be cut off.

"Look I don't what you've heard but I can assure you its not what actually happened," Cana said shortly," You were so drunk that what probably started off as a weird hug ended with a clumsy peck on the cheek that apparently looked like a full- blown make out session to everyone else, and when you passed out your head landed in my boobs- but that's gravity's fault."

Gildarts let out a breath he didn't know he was holding- it had just been a misunderstanding. He hadn't actually assaulted a teenager and more than that she wasn't mad at him.

"But Master said you were upset!" There was still that, was she downplaying it to make him feel better?

Cana's cheeks pinked slightly as she nervously grabbed at her wrist," Well… beyond me just being surprised at you falling on top of me, I- its just... you called me Cornelia."

"Huh?" Why was that the problem here?

"...Cornelia was my mom's name."

All of a sudden, his tongue was made out of lead and his thoughts ground to a halt. That- this had to be a freaky coincidence, right?

"Really?" He asked dumbly, watching as Cana nodded her head.

"Yeah, Cornelia Alberona."

He couldn't breathe. She had just- was this really-?

"Cana… you're fifteen, right?" Just a freaky coincidence, this couldn't possibly be-

"No, sixteen why?" She asked looking at him quizzically.

"J-just curious. I- see you later." He said quickly, rapidly walking out before he destroyed the guildhall. He had to be jumping to conclusions, but… what if he wasn't?

oOOOOo

He wasn't.

He and Conny were still legally married, despite all these years. They had never bothered with the official paperwork when things fell apart (though 'go to hell you fucking bastard' felt pretty damn official to him). He never thought that he would be grateful for this.

All it had taken was one petition to the records office and he had everything he wanted to know.

Conny had given birth to a baby girl sixteen years ago, just seven months after they had split up. A baby girl that she had named Rebecca Arcana Alberona. Rebecca had gone on to join Fairy Tail after her mother's death… only nowadays she went by 'Cana'.

He had a daughter. He had a beautiful, intelligent sixteen-year-old daughter named Rebecca and he would not have found out if it hadn't been for his drunken stupidity.

That thought made him slightly nauseous- he had almost assaulted his own daughter when he had mistaken her for her mother. What kind of father did that make him?

More importantly- how the hell was he supposed to tell her the truth?

oOOOOo

Cana had taken a weeklong job shortly after she had unknowingly dropped a bombshell on him and… he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

On one hand, it gave him some time to come to terms with this. Some time to process that he had a magnificent daughter who was just like her mother. A daughter to whom he was a total stranger. He didn't know a thing about her (not her favorite color, her least favorite vegetable, or favorite ice cream flavor), he hadn't raised her (Master had done that), and he had no clue how to go about fixing that.

While her being gone gave him time to process, it was also the most nerve-wracking experience he could remember. His child was off doing who knew what. She could be in danger, she could be fighting for her life, she could be held hostage, and he had no way of knowing any of these things!

More than that- what was going to happen once she was back? What was her reaction going to be once he broke the news to her? Would she be happy? Would she let him be part of her life? Would she come live with him? Would their lives even change after this reveal?

The worst outcome he could think of was that maybe she just wouldn't care. Cornelia had died when she had been six- how much did she actually remember? Master had been her father figure and had raised her to become the magnificent young woman that she was today. Was there room in her life for him?

He had been attempting to find out more about her, trying to find out whatever he could, but… it hadn't been going so well. Nobody had forgotten the drunken almost-kiss and breast faceplant; him asking about her didn't go over so well. Though he had tried to play it off as him trying to plan an apology he was pretty sure nobody believed him.

She was going to be back in two days, he had until then to get his shit together.

oOOOOo

He didn't get it together.

He hadn't even gotten a chance to react to her presence, as soon as Cana had checked in with Master she had run out of the guild. He hadn't even been able to move before she was gone.

Later that day he had been heading home when he spotted a familiar head of dark hair out of the corner of his eye. Turning he spotted Cana walking out of a store with wide glass windows showing off an array of musical instruments inside.

Cana had a black tote bag slung across one shoulder and what looked like an instrument case in her hand. Her hair had been pinned to her head in a complicated looking braid, and she had on a tight-fitting long sleeve black top, with a pair of grey sweatpants.

He called out to her before he had even thought about it," Cana!"

The girl blinked in surprise at the approaching figure," Gildarts?"

"I- uh- I didn't know you were back yet." He said lamely- he should be telling her the truth, why couldn't he get the words out?

Cana blinked again, "Um… I got back this afternoon, but I had to get to class so I didn't stay at the guild long."

"Class?" He asked curiously- it was a music store and that was an instrument case, was she a musician? What did she play?

"Uh- I do ballet why?"

"Oh, just curious." He said casually walking beside her, his head filled with images of a younger Cana in a pink tutu- she must have been so adorable! "Do you only do ballet or…" He trailed off; he should be telling her not questioning her hobbies!

Cana stopped walking and just stared at the crash mage long and hard for a moment before answering," …I've started taking alternative and hip hop and I also play a couple instruments. I'm best at the piano, but I've been working on the violin recently."

She was a musician and a ballerina (what the hell was 'alternative' though?). Conny had played the piano, so he got a feeling he probably knew where she had learned that one- but violin? And he didn't even know how many she actually played- she could have been a prodigy for all he knew.

The two walked for a while until they came to Fairy Hills, coming to a stop they stood awkwardly for a few moments before Cana said," Well… this is my stop, thank you for the company Gildarts."

Tell her. He was her father and he already loved her so damn much. "No problem, have a nice night."

As he walked away, he berated himself- seems after all these years he was still the same coward who had let Conny walk away.

oOOOOo

The crash mage was frantically going through his thoughts to find whatever it was that Master wanted to talk to him about. Didn't matter how old or experienced he got, if Master called him to his office suddenly he was twelve years old again being yelled at for whatever had happened that week.

As it was the expression on the smaller man's face made him want to cut his losses and run.

A cleared throat had Gildarts trying to hide a nervous gulp as the stormy gaze of the miniature guildmaster swung his way.

"Take a seat Gildarts."

He wasn't stupid so he sat down on the chair in front of the desk, trying to remember if he had updated his will recently.

"Gildarts, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and allow you to explain yourself. Recently both I and multiple people in the guild have noticed a change in your behavior towards Cana- such as going out of your way to walk her home, inviting her on a job with you, and seeking out her company. Now, perhaps this is all a misunderstanding, but these instances combined with you asking about her and the staring episode from the other night- Gildarts what are your intentions towards Cana Alberona?" The old man never raised his voice, he hadn't had to. Each word was delivered in a frosty voice that shot through Gildarts better than any amount of yelling could.

As it was the crash mage had absolutely nothing going through his head as he stared open mouthed at the older man. Had he just- did people honestly think that he was _interested_ in a _sixteen-year-old_ like _**that**_?

He had never and would never be attracted to children, and most certainly not his own child.

He sputtered trying to defend himself and express his revulsion at the idea simultaneously- though the only thing coherent that came out was, "What staring episode?"

As master's face darkened he belatedly realized that had not helped his case, though the miniature guildmaster explained," Last night when she challenged Alzack to a drinking contest- I and several others noticed you staring at her almost the entire time." The man finished tightly.

Oh. Yeah that probably looked bad. Cana had challenged Alzack to a drinking contest involving some kind of liquor from the gunner's hometown- she had wanted to see who would last longer. Despite being well aware that his daughter was of legal drinking age the sight of her in nothing but a bikini top that barely covered anything chugging from a bottle of vodka after leaving her opponent passed out in the dust… well he had been trying to figure out what an appropriate response would be. Given that his first thought was something along the lines of _'what the **hell** do you think you are doing young lady'_ and that he had to fight from grabbing his cloak to try to cover her up, he hadn't been sure how to act. Cana still didn't know that he was her father, so him trying to parent her probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

And apparently people thought he was attracted to her?!

Oh god- did Cana think that? How screwed up was this whole mess? Did his daughter think he was trying to get to know her because he wanted to have sex with her?! Worse, was her being receptive to his presence some kind of way of her saying she wanted to have sex with him? He had just thought that she was getting more comfortable around him, that if he built a rapport then he would be able to say the words- had he given her the wrong impression?

He was going to be sick. How the fuck was he supposed to rectify this?!

A cleared throat made him remember where he was, and that Master wanted an answer.

"Cana's my kid!" He blurted out in a panic; whatever Makarov had thought that he was going to say that had not been it. "I-I after I talked to her about the- the _incident,_ she mentioned that the reason she was upset was-was because her mother's name was Cornelia. It- we're still married legally so it wasn't hard to find out the truth."

How was it that he could say it so easily to Master but not to Cana?

"Gildarts…" Makarov was at a loss for words, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but that Cana was actually the Ace's daughter had not been it," … Does she know?" Because if Gildarts had told her then this wouldn't be the first he was hearing about this.

The crash mage looked down, ashamed at himself," …no, I- I just couldn't get the words out. I started trying to spend time with her because I figured if I knew her a little better… if I knew her a little better then it wouldn't be so hard."

"…Gildarts, do you want me to go get her now? She needs to know, both for her sake and for yours."

The Ace swallowed past the lump in his throat with some difficulty, before voicing his insecurities out loud," I- I really want to, but… Master she is so incredible. Did you know she plays six different instruments and she dances so well she could easily go professional if she wanted to. The entire younger generation relies on her as a sister and go to her when they need advice or someone to talk to. She can command a room with a word and the way she projects this confidence in herself… Master I just don't know if there is room for me in her life." And there it was, everything out on the table.

The older man just looked at him," Gildarts… I'm not going to say your fears aren't valid, because they are, but… I think you'd be surprised. Cana… for as long as she has been with Fairy Tail she has never truly opened up to anyone, I can't begin to guess why- perhaps it had something to do with her mother- but, maybe finding out that she has a father who wants her will be what finally breaks down the walls she's had up all this time."

The crash mage didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't.

"Now, do you want me to go get her?"

"Yes... I would appreciate that, thank you."

And the smaller man left the office in search of the card mage.

It didn't take very long for her to arrive. She knocked on the door before she came in, an unreadable look on her face as she entered," Master said you had something you wanted to speak to me about?"

This was it.

The red-haired man looked at his daughter before he finally said the words," I'm your father."

Silence.

Then Cana did something he didn't expect, she laughed. It wasn't a belly laugh, more like a short chuckle before she gave him one of the emptiest smiles he had ever seen. "Yeah, I kind of figured that you'd found out."

What-

"You knew?" The whole time she had known the truth. How long had she known? Why hadn't she said anything?

Cana met his eyes with her violet gaze," Mama told me the truth before she died, I actually came here looking for you. I… I've tried to tell you so many times, but I just couldn't get the words out. Eventually I decided that I'd tell you if I made S-class… then when you thought I was mom- "

"You dropped a hint." Gildarts finished for her. Wow, what a pair they were. Of all the things he could have passed down this wasn't something he had thought was inheritable.

His girl had tears in her eyes," What happens now?" She asked in a watery voice, before letting out a slight squeak as her father yanked her into a hug.

As he held her tightly against him (this was how it always should have been) he answered her," We are going to be a family. We can't change the past, but we can control the present- lets make up for lost time. We can go on a mission together and camp under the stars, you can teach this tone-deaf old man how to play the piano- though I warn you your mother tried and failed. If you want, you can come live with me. And I am going to go stand at the top of Kardia Cathedral and tell the entire world that I have an amazing daughter, who I already love more than anything in the entire world."

Cana let out a watery laugh," I'm okay with that… Dad."

They stayed like that for a while, just taking comfort in each other. This… they had both needed this more than they had ever realized. They could worry about telling everyone later, they could worry about details later, somehow, they both knew everything was going to work out just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out a bit sadder than I had expected, I had figured that it would be more funny than anything of him trying to parent her without making it seem like he's parenting her, but ultimately they both won me over with the insecurities. I hope you guys liked this one! In case you didn't understand the beginning it was more a case of everyone assuming Cana was downplaying it out of shock and thinking that it was worse than it actually was (what she said happened was actually what happened), and later Gildarts assumed that she didn't know the truth, so he interpreted her reactions to fit his belief.
> 
> If you don't like how I handled the drunken idiocy than please tell me about it, but be polite. Something like that has never happened to me and so I can not write from experience, but with how I laid out the scenario I can't see Cana reacting differently than how I did this. I apologize if I offended someone.
> 
> The drinking contest was inspired by 'Make Your Nest and Lay in it' (it's hilarious- you should read it if you haven't).


	23. A Perfect Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cana starts acting different, no one was really concerned, just teenage rebellion, right? Then she collapses in the guildhall. How will Gildarts react finding out that he has a daughter in this whole screwed up situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL THE MEDICAL STUFF IS FAKE! I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MEDICINE- I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE SKELETON BUT THE SQUISHY BITS FREAK ME OUT!

When Cana had first started acting oddly, nobody had really given it much thought, just assuming it to be a normal teenage phase. Wearing darker clothes that covered her up almost neck to wrist, refusing to socialize, and keeping odd hours- it wasn't ideal but not something anyone worried about.

Cana was the responsible one among the younger generation; she was level-headed, reliable, and she knew how to keep herself out of trouble. If acting surly was all they had to deal with when it came to her, they would take it. Especially with Erza and Mirajane's constant death matches, Gray constantly getting citations for indecent exposure, Natsu burning down national landmarks, to say nothing of the boys' fights with each other, and with everything else the younger generation put them through- well… maybe it was a bit cruel, but Cana was pushed aside.

That was until she had collapsed in the middle of the guildhall.

After rushing her to the hospital, the secret was finally revealed. Cana was dying.

She had been getting treated for Tuan's disease- a genetic condition that systematically attacked her body systems. It had disabled her joints, making moving very painful as her limbs frequently popped out of place. Her lungs were filling up with fluid that had to be suctioned out every other day. Her bone density had decreased and as a result her fragile bones snapped easily.

And now Cana had apparently reached stage four- her body had started rejecting all nutrients. She was starving to death.

She had been suffering in silence for almost a year. A whole year that they could have helped her. Apparently, she hadn't wanted to be a burden on anyone- the girl was fourteen, fighting a losing battle, and all she worried about was everyone else.

Her only hope at this point was a bone marrow transplant- and after three rejections it had to be an absolute perfect match or else it would only kill her faster. Yet… even with a marrow donation there were no guarantees that it would help.

But they still had a chance and they were going to do whatever it took to save her.

The entire guild had lined up outside the hospital for testing- in a guild this massive _someone_ had to be a match. They just had to be.

Gildarts was sitting with the group waiting for test results. Cana was a sweet kid and if he could help her, he damn well would. The poor girl had apparently been placed into a medically induced coma in order to keep her as comfortable as possible. Master was sitting with her; he'd hardly left her side this whole time and the crash mage couldn't blame him.

All the members of Fairy Tail were Makarov's children as far as the man was concerned, to have something like this happen had to be totally devastating. To be totally helpless to protect his child. If the worst happened and Cana did die, he had no clue how the guild would recover.

"Um… can- can a Mister Gildarts Clive please come back for a minute?" A shaky voice called across the crowded room. Gildarts turned to face the mousey orderly who looked… shaken for lack of a better term.

"Is this about the test results?" The Ace asked as the two walked along a hallway with the orderly, who let out a squeak like a frightened mouse.

"Y-yes it does," the man said in a high-pitched hysterical tone.

As they entered into what looked like a conference room, the eyes of several doctors and Master Makarov focused on him with varying levels of intensity.

"Um- is everything okay?" He asked hesitantly.

"Gildarts- you might want to sit down." Master said cautiously.

"What's going on?" he asked impatiently as he settled at the table.

The blonde-haired woman by the wall slid a file across the table to him," Mr. Clive- we had an unusual result with your test."

"What kind of result- do you need me to redo it?" Why wouldn't anyone just come out and say whatever it was? How bad could this be?

"Mr. Clive your blood matched with Cana- "

"So, I can help her!" He blurted out elated- that was great news!

Everyone in the room winced as the air in the room grew even more tense, like a coiled spring.

"Not that kind of match." The woman said gently, "She's your daughter."

…What?

"She's your daughter." Makarov repeated. Oh, he must have said that out loud.

She was- Cana was-?

"Where is she?" He surprised himself with the level of desperation in his voice. But he a daughter, he had a baby, and she was dying.

She was dying. Fourteen years old and she was going to die.

He wasn't sure what happened next, just that all of a sudden he was next to her bed, listening to the steady beep of her heart monitor.

Tubes in her arms, in her nose, in her mouth; machines breathing for her and feeding her as best they could. Her cheeks were hollow, her eyes were sunken in, and her skin was the same white as the sheets on the bed. She- despite everything- she was so beautiful.

How was it, that for all his strength he couldn't help his own child?

"H-hey Kiddo," He said to the sleeping girl, his voice beginning to break," Apparently your blood and mine… I'm your daddy kid." He whispered.

This was his baby. Someone had his baby and hadn't told him. He had missed out on her entire life, when she first got diagnosed he should have been sitting right next to her. He should have been with her at every treatment and every appointment. He should have been there to hold her and tell her everything would be alright.

"I-I'm so sorry Cana. I didn't know- I swear I didn't know that you were mine. I've missed your entire life, but that ends now. You're never getting rid of me kid." He said with a watery laugh as tears began to fall down his face. He couldn't even hold her hand with all the needles and wires in the way- what if he shifted one out of the way and it hurt her? He would never forgive himself if something happened.

"You- you're going to be fine sweetheart- I promise. When you get better, you're going to come live with me, we'll be a family. I- if you get better princess, I'll get you a puppy or a pony if you like that better." He would give her the entire world if she would open her eyes right now.

"I love you so much already sweetheart and I am not going to leave here without you." He swore. He had a daughter now- she was the only thing that mattered.

She was sick and he was going to take care of her until she got better. And she was going to get better.

She just had to.

oOOOOo

"-and as they looked up at the bright orange light someone cried out 'it's a ghost!'- with nothing else said we packed up our kit and moved to the orangery." Gildarts read to his sleeping beauty. Her doctor had assured him that she could hear what was happening around her and that reading to her could help keep her cognitive function from atrophying. He would have preferred to read her a story about dragons and knights in shining armor, but a nurse had been nice enough to donate this book so it would have to do.

Master had gone to get Cana's file from the guild, because unless his name was on her birth certificate her doctors could not legally give him information on her condition- the blood test was not a substitute. Gildarts was annoyed about that, but he knew that they were just following policy and he had to respect that.

A cleared throat got him to turn around to the open doorway, Master had come back, and he looked… shocked, like he had been the one to see a ghost.

"Master?" Had the doctor told him something bad?

"…Gildarts," the older man started, before cutting himself off and just shoving the file into his hands, "I am so sorry Gildarts."

Well, that certainly was alarming. As the red-haired man turned the manila folder with the guild crest stamped in the center- this was Cana's file. What could be in this that had spooked the miniature guildmaster so badly?

As he opened the folder, he saw it almost instantly.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona, mother: Cornelia Alberona.

Conny.

Conny had- she was Cana's-?

"…She hated the name Rebecca." He said numbly, fighting to try and create some kind of order to his disjointed thoughts.

"Really?" Makarov said, in that tone of voice you use when trying not to spook a skittish animal.

"When… when we talked about kids, I told her I always wanted to name my daughter 'Rebecca'. She hated it, wanted to name any girl 'Arcana'… Conny named her Rebecca."

Makarov still looked nervous before gently prodding," Gildarts… there's a paper behind her birth certificate you need to see."

Apprehensively he pulled the page from behind the certificate (oh good- he was on it after all) and stared as a sudden wash of horror crashed over him. It was a death certificate, Conny's death certificate. He'd known about her death for a while now, and while the reminder hurt, it wasn't what made his blood run cold.

Tuan's disease. Conny had died from Tuan's disease. The same disease that was destroying his baby from the inside out.

That wouldn't happen to Cana, he wasn't going to let it happen to her. She wasn't going to die.

But… at this point it would take a miracle.

oOOOOo

If you had asked Gildarts a few years ago if he believed in gods or miracles he would have been on the fence- but now?

Gray Fullbuster was as perfect of a bone marrow match as you could get. Miracles were real, Gods were real, and he was so fucking grateful.

Cana was going to live; she was responding well to the transplant and her doctors said that she was going to recover. They were going to ease her out of the coma in the next few days and within the next few weeks she would be able to go home.

Thankfully her room would be done by then. It hadn't taken long for the truth of her parentage to get around- and while everyone was shocked, they all took it in stride. Several members of the guild had offered to build onto his house for him- since they couldn't do anything else for Cana it would be a nice way to work off the energy, for which the crash mage was grateful. When she was ready to go, she could move right in!

He had also managed to get his hands on a book about dog breeds- he had promised his princess a puppy if she got better and she had kept her end of the deal so he had to keep his. He was trying to pick out a dog that was just the right level of strong to be trained to be a guard dog (he acknowledged that he couldn't protect her 24/7- but that didn't mean he couldn't find an alternative) and cuddly enough to be a good companion. He had a couple things in mind, but he'd just have to see what he could get.

It was a good distraction from the elephant in the room: he was making all these plans, making sure he knew how to take care of her, building onto his house… and she still had no idea. At this point the only one who didn't know the truth was Cana and… he wasn't sure how he was going to handle this. How do you tell someone who had been through something like this that you were their parent?

Though, the doc did say that she could hear everything around her… maybe she heard him the first time and he was worrying over nothing.

He wouldn't know until she woke up.

oOOOOo

Two days later Gildarts was hovering over his daughter more than usual. That would be because the nurse had gone through the procedure to take her out of the coma that morning. She could wake up any moment now and he selfishly wanted to be the first person she saw.

It was around eleven in the morning when a sleepy noise had him snap towards her. He watched the adorable way her nose wrinkled as she cracked open her eyes, squinting against the light, groggy and confused.

"Cana… sweetheart can you hear me?" He asked gently, mentally squealing over her as she groggily nodded, a small sound of protest escaping her mouth.

"Uh-Huh."

"That's good, you were really sick- but you're getting better. Do you know who I am?" The doc had given him a few questions to run through, to check and see how conscious she was. The sleepy girl nodded.

"You're my Daddy- Mama said so."

Suddenly he was struck dumb, Conny had-? Just how close to death had Cana been?!

"She sent me to find you- came to find you. Wanted to say…" The brunette yawned, before falling back to sleep, unaware of how much she had startled her father.

Had Cana really seen her mother? Or was she just piecing together things that she had heard in her coma? Had Conny wanted her to say something to him or had Cana wanted to say something to him?

Didn't matter.

He could ask all those questions later, she had called him 'daddy'- he didn't care why or how she had known to call him that, his baby had just given him the greatest gift he could ever receive.

oOOOOo

It took another few hours for Cana to wake up completely during which time he had unfortunately been in the bathroom, and had come back to find his princess laughing with Gray, loudly declaring that the ice mage was her brother for real now.

It was so nice to know how close the two were so close and that she had someone she could rely on for anything.

He cleared his throat, causing the teenagers to turn his way," I'm glad to see that you're up Cana." He said gently to the now blushing girl.

"Gray… do you think you could give us a few moments?" She asked the dark-haired boy, who looked between the father and daughter before declaring he was hungry and walking out the door.

The sudden silence was awkward.

"So… Cana you woke up earlier today- "He stopped when she nodded her head a quiet answer coming from her.

"Yeah… I remember…Dad."

Unbidden he felt tears rise to his eyes, hearing her call him that (though he would be lying if he said he didn't want to hear her call him 'daddy' again) without being too heavily drugged up.

"I'm… I'm glad you do. Cana you said something about your mother- "

She swallowed nervously," Yeah. She… before Mama died, she told me who you were and how to find you. I-I tried to tell you, but it just never wound up happening. Then- then I got sick and I didn't want to tell you just to die."

He didn't say anything, he couldn't say anything, all he could do was sit on the side of her bed and pull her into his chest (not too hard- she was delicate), resting her head over his heart. She had known. All these years she had known, she had gone through all of this… he couldn't get those years back, but he could live in the moment now. He was her father; his job was to make sure that she knew that she was loved in this world.

oOOOOo

A few weeks later and Cana was about to be discharged.

She had recovered faster than any of her doctors had thought possible. The color returning to her cheeks as everything returned to how it should be for a fourteen-year-old. Her bone density was returning to stable levels, her lung function was almost completely fine, and she could eat again.

To say everyone was thrilled was an understatement- Fairy Tail was planning the greatest party in the history of the guild- and probably in the history of any guild period.

The person who was the most excited was Cana herself, who had been going stir crazy stuck in her hospital room- Gildarts was convinced that the reason she had recovered so fast was because she was desperate to leave.

But… he still had to keep up his end of the bargain.

"Hey Princess think you could close your eyes for a minute? I have a surprise for you." Cana raised an eyebrow at her father before obediently closing her eyes.

"Now hold out your hands." And as soon as she did he dropped the two-month-old deerhound puppy into her arms- the dog immediately licking Cana's face as her eyes flew open. Gildarts could tell that he made the right choice- it was definitely love at first sight.

He'd gotten special permission from her doctors to bring the dog into the hospital to surprise her, they had been more than excited for the pair. Turned out one of the nurses was a breeder and he'd gotten the puppy from her- soon as he'd seen Minty, he'd immediately known she was the one.

His princess was cooing over her right now- looks like they had just made their family bigger.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Cana squealed as she tried to hug him and kiss Minty at the same time.

"You ready to go Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, yeah I am Dad, let's go home."

And without another word the father and daughter left the hospital, puppy in tow, heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure about the ending, but I am pretty happy with how this all turned out. In case you were wondering, the book passage was from a book about Margam Castle- one of the most haunted buildings in the UK. The deerhound puppy was also a reference to Margam- I have a friend who used to work there, and he has a deerhound named Aminta (but everybody calls her Minty- its apparently a reference to Animal Ark), so I thought it was fitting. Also: ALL MEDICAL STUFF IS FAKE! I MADE IT UP! IT IS IN NO WAY ACCURATE!
> 
> I actually have two other drafts for this idea, one in 'Letter to You' where Gildarts is there to help her through everything and a different one where she tells them to tell Gildarts the truth from her hospital bed. These may go up and they may not- I don't really plan this stuff out too far before I do it.
> 
> If anybody gets the reference with 'Tuan's disease' a virtual cookie to you (no seriously, if you get I'll be seriously impressed, its pretty obscure)! If anyone has anything, they want to see please let me know and I will see what I can do! On top of that- what has been your favorite chapter of this story? I really want to know!


	24. Family Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana's Uncle has been trying to track down his niece since his sister died, somehow Fairy Tail had never even crossed his mind. Now his only issue is whether or not he should be taking her with him since her father clearly isn't doing his job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For cowseatgrass- yet another awesome prompt! I never would have come up with this on my own if I tried!
> 
> Original prompt: Cana's Uncle is in a dark guild and comes to Fairy Tail to take her.
> 
> Warning:swearing
> 
> I’m starting a new job so updates are probably going to start becoming pretty sporadic.

Julian Alberona was not a good person; he'd be the first to admit that. He lied, he stole, he cheated, and while he had never killed anyone, there had been more than a few close calls. He may be a dark wizard and he may act outside the law, but he wasn't a monster.

He had loved his sister and he loved his niece; as soon as he had found out Cornelia was sick the first thing he did was try to go see her, but by the time he'd made it there she'd been dead and no one had any idea where Rebecca was.

Despite being devastated by his sister's death, he knew he had to make sure Rebecca was taken care of and he was more than willing to step up, but he couldn't find her.

It took him six years- six years of worrying about her before he finally had a breakthrough. Well… 'breakthrough' might not be the most accurate term. What actually happened was someone left a copy of Sorcerer Weekly on the table and when he had flipped through it out of boredom, he'd been struck dumb by a younger version of his sister smiling up at him. After being stunned stupid for several moments, he grabbed his bag and started towards Magnolia.

Fairy Tail. How had he been so stupid to have never checked out Fairy Tail. Conny must have sent Rebecca to Gildarts- which was kind of surprising because he hadn't thought that she would ever tell him, but hey- desperate times.

Julian couldn't exactly say he liked Gildarts, not after everything the clutz had put his sister through, but the man was strong and would treat Rebecca like the little princess she was. Ultimately, she had probably been better off with Gildarts than would have been with him, but… he had to be sure.

If Rebecca wasn't happy then he would take her with him. As her uncle it was his responsibility to make sure that she was well cared for.

No, he wasn't a good person, but he loved his family and that had to count for something.

oOOOOo

She was just being paranoid. That had to be it. She'd been reading a lot of horror novels lately and they must finally be catching up to her.

Cana had been feeling like someone was watching her for almost the entire day now and it was really freaking her out. But, of course, every single time she turned around there was nobody there.

She had to stop reading so many ghost stories before bed, she was jumping at shadows thinking 'Dead Lucy' was coming to get her. It was fiction, she just had to pull herself together and go about her day. Nothing was out to get her.

She was walking back from Griffith's after three separate sessions and the empty streets she was walking through… yeah this was really not helping her anxiety. Unbidden her mind started to write out the scene: the lonely deserted street, lit only by stray lamp posts, the young girl walks alone, unaware of the shadowy figure as it slowly sneaks up behind-

"Rebecca."

Cana shrieked at the top of her lungs, spinning around and chucking her trumpet at the figure, clocking it square in the face. It dropped to the ground swearing viciously, but before she could make a run for it a familiar voice broke through the panic.

"Fucking hells- Rebecca _it's me_!"

Cana blinked. Rebecca. The only other person who called her that other than her mother was-

"Uncle Jules?" She asked incredulously. Staring open-mouthed as he got up off the pavement (damn- did she break his nose?), she remembered how her Uncle had always brought her new toys whenever he came to visit, gave her piggy back rides, and had let her steal cookies when her mother wasn't looking- was he actually here?

As the man straightened properly, he flashed her a familiar grin," Hey Minnie Mouse- see your aim is still as good as ever." Referencing how the young Cana, with her high-pitched, squeaky voice, had always thrown her toys when she got mad, but wait, if he knew that, then that meant he really was-

"UNCLE JULES!" She yelled happily, tackling him back down to the pavement in a bear hug.

For Julian it was the best hug he had received in years. She really had grown a lot in six years, she was a young lady now.

"What are you doing here?" Cana asked once they had both gotten back on their feet. As happy as she was to see him, it had been years- why was he showing up now?

Uncle Jules gave her a mock glare," I spent six years trying to track you down kid- as soon as I found out where you were, I came to check up on you."

The brunette blinked for a moment, before guilt welled up inside her. She had been so eager to get to Fairy Tail, she had completely forgotten about Uncle Jules. Of course he had been worried about her, six years was a long time and she hadn't exactly left any kind of way for him to know she'd gone to Fairy Tail.

"Enough about that- what the fuck is in that case?" The dark-haired male asked incredulously, watching as his niece's entire face turned pink as she picked the black case up off the ground.

"I started the trumpet recently," She answered sheepishly, making her uncle snort. Instrument, he should have known. This kid had taken to the piano like a fish to water, being able to play some pretty complex pieces by the time she was three. Conny had been good, but Rebecca was simply better.

"Well, you heading home kid?"

"Yeah, I was on my way back when someone scared the crap out of me!" She said venomously as her uncle winced- he hadn't meant to scare her like that, in hindsight approaching her while she was walking home alone had been a really stupid move.

"Let me walk you then- what have you been up to all these years?" He asked, and that broke the dam, the twelve-year-old enthusiastically launching into story mode telling him all about her friends, her jobs- anything she could think of, gesticulating wildly for emphasis.

"This is my stop Uncle Jules," She stated out of the blue, once they had come to a low three-story building.

"Really?" He asked in surprise, he may have only been to Gildarts' house once but he was pretty damn sure this wasn't it.

"Yeah- these are the girls only dorms," She casually answered as she got her keys out.

"But shouldn't you be living with Gildarts?"

This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as his niece flinched, visibly curling in on herself, mumbling softly," Its- its complicated Uncle Jules. I'll see you at the guild tomorrow."

After making sure she made it through the door, Julian did an abrupt about face, heading towards the obnoxiously large magical presence that the gutless moron constantly put out.

His ex-brother-in-law was neglecting his own daughter- it was his duty as her uncle to go kick his teeth in until he grew a pair and took some goddamn responsibility!

oOOOOo

When Gildarts opened his front door only to be punched in the face, the only thing he was surprised about was that it wasn't Natsu on the other side. The sight of his former brother-in-law with a black eye and broken nose radiating rage was certainly a shocker.

" _Julian_? What the fuck-?!" The crash mage yelled in confusion before another punch landed on his jaw.

"You think you can treat her like that and I wouldn't find out!" The other man roared, kneeing the crash mage in the gut.

What the-?

"Julian if this is about Conny- "

"This isn't about Conny, this is about Rebecca." Julian snarled like a feral dog.

"Who's Rebecca?" Gildarts asked in confusion. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as he watched the dark mage become even more enraged.

"'Who's Rebecca'-?! Your _daughter_ , you fucking piece of shit! Twelve years old, brown hair, purple eyes- ring any bells?" He sneered venomously- the man neglects her to the point where he forgot her name? That settled it she was coming with him after this.

Gildarts was in so much shock he didn't even react as Julian got a few more shots in. "I don't have a daughter." He said dumbly. Rebecca- Conny had been the only one who knew about that name.

Now Julian wasn't the smartest, but something about the naked shock and confusion painted across the red-head's face made him pause. This… this wasn't any reaction he'd been expecting," Yes you do. Considering I talked to her less than an hour ago I think I'd know. I thought Conny sent her to live with you?" What was going on? Why did Gildarts seem so surprised?

"Conny- what?" The Ace asked borderline hysterically. Was Julian saying what he thought he was saying? Had Conny- did he really have a daughter out there somewhere? Wait, Julian said he talked to her, that meant he had a daughter living right under his nose.

Julian's rage died at the genuine confusion from the crash mage- was it possible that he didn't know?

"Rebecca was born a couple months after you guys split," the dark haired man found himself explaining," After Conny died I went to get her but she was gone- wasn't until I saw some Fairy Tail puff piece that I even knew where she was. I… I assumed that Conny sent her to you."

"…She's in Fairy Tail?" Gildarts asked as he frantically ran through the names and faces of the younger generation- none of the girls were named Rebecca- what was going on?

"… People used to call her 'Cana' if that helps any." Julian said awkwardly, remembering how neither he nor Conny could figure out how that got started.

"…Cana?" It was like a lightbulb switched on. The shy little brunette who always clung to the outskirts… she was-? Cana was _his_ -?

"…. Maybe, maybe we should sit down for a bit," the dark mage offered hesitantly, neither of them appeared to be on the same page.

"I think that might be a good idea," Gildarts said shortly, trying and failing to sound calm.

And so, the two sat down at the table and started talking. The next day was going to be interesting to say the least.

oOOOOo

Gildarts couldn't exactly say he liked his brother-in-law. Julian was a piece of dark guild scum, but he was Conny's brother, so he tried to at least be civil. It was a bitter pill to swallow right now that he was reliant on the other man's help.

For whatever reason Cana ( _Rebecca_ his mind whispered) had never told him who she was to him, and because of this he knew next to nothing about her. They had never spoken as far as he could recall, he remembered when she had first joined the guild as an adorable little thing (she was still an adorable little thing to be honest), but he had never really paid attention to her. He hadn't thought he needed to.

Maybe that was why. Maybe she had seen her Daddy's total disinterest in her, and it had hurt her so badly that she decided not to say anything.

He didn't know her, but Julian did. Julian had been there during the first few weeks of her life, had been there for every birthday before she went to Fairy Tail. She trusted Julian in a way that she didn't trust him, in a way that she may never trust him and that… that really hurt. To know that even beyond Julian, so many other men had filled his place in her life- had been father-figures to her like he had never gotten to be.

When Cana had problems she went to Master, she went to Macao, she went to Wakaba- she went to everyone except her own father because he was never there. He… would be lying if he said he didn't feel jealous of all the other men who took his place in his child's life.

"- Uncle Jules where are we going?" He heard the sweetest voice in the entire world ask exasperatedly.

They had worked out a game plan the night before. Julian would pick her up from the guild and bring her back here so they could all work everything out without an audience. As much as the Ace loved Fairy Tail, he had to admit that they were the last presence he wanted right now.

The door to his house opened and Julian brought the most incredible little girl he had ever seen inside. And as soon as she saw him her face fell, driving a spike right through his heart.

The brunette looked between the two men, reading the situation quickly. "He- he knows now, doesn't he." It wasn't a question.

Julian just nodded, gesturing towards the red head," Family meeting Minnie Mouse. All of us have stuff we need to say and none of us are leaving until its said." As much as he disliked his brother-in-law, the man deserved to be in her life if he wanted to be. Conny had chosen to keep him out, which hadn't been fair then and it still wasn't fair now, and Rebecca deserved to have her father in her life if she wanted him there.

The awkward silence stood for a moment before Gildarts decided to be the one to break it," Cana- Rebecca I'm so sorry." The man rasped, barely keeping the tears in check," I-I've missed your entire life and you- you had to watch me ignore you- "

"That wasn't your fault." The card mage interrupted," You didn't know because I didn't tell you, because Mom didn't tell you; I don't hold anything against you. I was the one who didn't say anything."

"Why- why didn't you say anything?" The crash mage asked hesitantly, unsure if he really want the answer.

"…I tried." She whispered," I tried so many times, but things just kept getting in the way. You had to take a job, or something got your attention first. I… I was actually going to try to tell you today, but Uncle Jules showed up and I wanted to spend time with him."

Gildarts couldn't breathe- Cana had joined when she was six. She had been trying to tell him the truth for _six years_. He didn't even hesitate, just pulled her onto his lap and held her. Burying his face into her hair as gripped her to his chest. For her part Cana just leaned into him, curling up in his lap as she let him hold her. She'd always imagined what this would feel like, to be held by him… it was warmer than she had thought it would be, but not in a bad way. His arms were strong, she'd seen him lift boulders, but they held her like she was made of glass.

It was nice.

"Cana, will you let me be your father?" He had lost so much time; he didn't want to lose another minute.

"I'd really like that...Dad."

And then came the water works, with both father and daughter bawling their eyes out as they shared their first real moment together.

Julian watched with a smile, tears of his own in his eyes as he watched the touching scene. He may not like Gildarts too much, but he adored Rebecca, he'd just have to tolerate the man from now on. He may not be a good person, but he loved his family and unfortunately Gildarts was part of it, but… Julian could learn to be okay that. Every family had that one idiot they tolerated, guess his brother-in-law was theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a surprisingly long time to put this together. I loved the prompt, but I spent forever trying to work out the plot points, like why he didn't take her beforehand, if he knew the truth, how the reveal would happen, and timeline. I also had to figure out how to make Gildarts seem believable as he went into the confrontation aware that Cana knew the truth. Also, if anyone is wondering why Julian calls her Minnie Mouse- it's because I think its cute, no big reason, I just wanted to work a cute nickname in there.
> 
> I actually have been playing around with just how confusing Cana's legal name could make things. Because it really has the potential for some pretty intense misunderstandings. I know this personally, because I have a two-parter name, and I have only gone by the second part for almost my entire life, so when someone uses my full name I don't react because I have no idea they are talking to me.
> 
> Also, in case you are wondering, Cana doesn't know her uncle is in a dark guild and Julian isn't really high up enough to have his own wanted posters or be infamous. I also have no idea why he is a dark wizard, he doesn't really have a backstory beyond what's here.
> 
> And it was actual paranoia-nobody was watching her, if you get the Dead Lucy reference (Nancy Drew) you'll probably understand. I was jumping at shadows for days after the first episode.
> 
> Please tell me what you think and if you have any story ideas please send them to me! Maybe I'll use them!


	25. Bragging Rights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the monthly guildmaster meeting Makarov is more than happy to brag about his newborn granddaughter- much to everyone else's irritation.
> 
> Follows A Blessed Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one focuses on Makarov and is the first not to include Gildarts or Cana. I have this little headcannon that Makarov would brag about Laxus to everyone who would listen when he was a kid, and in this particular world I feel like Cana would definitely be calling him 'grandpa'. Just the thought about him bragging about his grandchildren was just too cute!

Now, normally the monthly guildmaster conferences weren't particularly serious occasions. All of the important things were usually taken care of in the first few hours and the rest of the time was more of a social affair.

The majority of the masters had known each other since they were young themselves, so there was always plenty to talk about. However right now everyone wished that Makarov had a little less to talk about.

"- and you wouldn't believe how alert she is! Barely a month old and so eager to take in the world around her- "

Apparently, Makarov had just received his second grandchild, everyone had been subjected to this sort of thing the first year or so after Laxus had been born but now this new baby-.

"I love the name they wound up choosing, 'Rebecca Arcana' just has such a lovely flow to it- did I mention that they decided to call her 'Cana' for short?"

"Yes." The entire room droned in unison, desperately wanting nothing more than for the short man to shut up- unfortunately he didn't take the hint.

"Well the little darling is so well behaved for a girl this young- hardly ever cries, just always so cheerful- you know she started smiling at three weeks old?"

When it had started with him proudly exclaiming, he had gotten his first granddaughter and passing around pictures of an absolutely adorable baby girl, everyone had been happy for him (still were to be honest), but he. Just. Wouldn't. Shut. Up.

Currently several were contemplating the level of power they would need to put into a sleeping spell to drop him, when someone piped up to try and distract the miniature guildmaster.

"Well how is Laxus doing Makarov?" Goldmine asked somewhat desperately, ready to stop hearing about baby Cana. Unfortunately, he just traded one grandchild for the other.

"Oh, Laxus is doing so much better, he's been responding well to his newest asthma treatments, but the pollen has sent him inside- though he's taken this as an opportunity to improve his reading skills. I tell you he is so intelligent, he did so well in all his classes this year and I tell you-" he kept on extolling the magnificence of his six-year-old grandson (who apparently adored little baby Cana).

Okay- skip the sleeping spell some people were contemplating homicide. Yet knowing this old fool he'd come back as a ghost just so he could keep bragging about his grandchildren.

But despite wanting to hear less about them, everyone had to hide smiles at just how much Makarov loved his grandchildren, guess they'd just have to put up with having to hear every little detail. Their old friend was worth the frustration.


	26. Under the Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts has always gone overboard on the occastions when Cana got sick and he was determined not to embarrass her by overeacting only… this time it definitely wasn't an overreaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a few liberties with symptoms.

Gildarts smiled as he spotted the guildhall at the end of the road. While it was slightly embarrassing at first that his own lousy control necessitated such extreme measures, he couldn't deny it stroked his ego to some extent. It was like the city was rolling out the red carpet to welcome him back home. And of course, once he reached the guildhall his pride and joy would be waiting with one of her best hugs.

Only when he reached the guild, he didn't see his baby girl.

Trying not to overreact, because when it came to his little girl, he had the tendency to do that, he casually asked Master," So… where's my little girl? She on a job?" He tried to appear nonchalant, but when everyone in the vicinity winced in unison he felt his anxiety grow.

"What's wrong- is Cana okay?"

Macao answered nervously," She's… she's just been under the weather the last few days is all."

That made his anxiety spike. Sick? His- his baby was sick? He had to go get her! She must be so miserable without her Daddy there to take care of her.

"Gildarts calm down." Master snapped," Every single time she's gotten sick you overreact- she'll be fine."

The red-haired man took a deep breath and then slowly tried to release his anxiety. Master was right, she had been sick before and she always recovered. Him overreacting never did anything except humiliate her.

"Either way- see you all later. I'm going to go home." The crash mage said shortly, giving the guild a wide fake smile, before hightailing it out of there as quickly as he could without looking like he was rushing.

Cana was his pride and joy, his darling little princess. He always tended to react badly whenever she was sick or injured, he just… he hated seeing her be unhappy. Hated it even more when there was nothing in he could do to make her feel better. A couple months after she had first come home, she had started sneezing and at first he hadn't been too worried, but then she had thrown up and he had rushed her to the hospital. Turned out she had a cold and Master had almost killed him for all the damages he'd caused in his panic.

And then there was the time she caught strep and he had bothered poor Porlyusica so much with questions and freak outs that she had temporarily banned him from setting foot in her house. Then there was the time Cana had gotten her tonsils removed and he had filled her small recovery room with so many flowers none of them could breathe right with the perfume in the air. When she had been working on lifts in her ballet class and her partner had dropped her; he had nearly cried when he saw the thick purple bruises inked across his baby's skin, and it was only her begging that convinced him not to pull her out of classes. And the time when Laxus had taken her on an S-class job _(without asking his permission_ ) and she had broken her arm… yeah it had taken a lot of people to stop him from killing the blonde.

The point was he had a history of overreacting whenever something was wrong, and he did nothing but embarrass her- this time would be different. He wouldn't make a scene, he wouldn't freak out, he wouldn't go kidnap doctors to have them check her over. No, all he was going to do was be a normal loving father, who took care of his sick child with the standard hot soup and checking her temperature every few hours.

Still the anxiety was tugging at his stomach- he wasn't going to be okay until he saw her and made sure that she was okay and even then, he wasn't going to feel better until she felt better.

There was the house! Why the hell had the trip from the guildhall been so damn long?!

As soon as he stepped inside and spotted his daughter on the couch his heart immediately jumped into his throat. Cana was a tough cookie like her mom, she shook off aches and pains like water off a duck's back, never one to complain no matter what was going on, so the sight of her curled up on the couch sobbing in pain was completely and utterly terrifying.

Her hair was plastered to her face with sweat and her usual olive skin was almost white. She didn't even seem to realize he was there at first until he was right by her side, then she was practically crawling into his arms.

"Daddy it hurts so bad." She sobbed into his neck making him freeze- she hadn't called him daddy in years. He carefully placed a hand on her sweaty forehead and Gildarts was pretty sure his skin had gone white.

"Baby you're burning up." He whispered hoarsely; eyes wide.

He didn't even think, he just started running towards the hospital with his little girl in his arms, trying desperately not to jostle her. Whatever was wrong… whatever was wrong it was _bad_.

He sure as hell wasn't overreacting this time.

oOOOOo

Turned out it was her appendix.

A nurse in the emergency room had taken one look at Cana when he had made it to the hospital and had immediately taken her from him. What happened next was a blur of yelling and people asking questions he couldn't answer. Eventually one of the nurses had slapped him until he could see the world again and told him they were taking her into surgery, and that someone would be by to give the details to him.

Later when all the chaos had subsided and everything was done, he held his baby's hand as he sat next to her bed, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Apparently, he'd gotten to her at just the right time, her appendix had only been a few hours shy of rupturing, and he might not understand medical jargon, but even he knew that would have been really, really bad.

But there was nothing to worry about now, she should wake up in another hour or so and the surgery had gone great. The nurses were calling her 'the poster child for appendectomy'. So… why was it still so hard to breathe?

He distantly heard the door open, but he didn't turn around, he didn't think he could take his eyes off of her even if he tried.

"I heard what happened," the gruff voice of Master Makarov said from somewhere to his left.

"They- they said everything went great and that she's going to be okay. It… it's a pretty routine procedure." The crash mage responded shakily, what if he had been just a few minutes too late? How much worse could this have been?

"Gildarts, you can't possibly blame yourself for this- "

"Yes I can."

He could feel the eye roll on his back, but yes, he could and would blame himself for this. His baby had gotten sick and if he had been there when it first started, she probably would have gotten treated a hell of a lot sooner.

"Master… Master I don't think I'm going to take a job for a couple weeks. I- I just… I just don't want to take my eyes off of her for a while."

Things were quiet for a moment before the older man responded," … I completely understand. But Gildarts… these things just happen. No amount of foresight can prevent a cold and no amount of caution can keep you safe forever. I know how horrible it must be to see your child lying there and to not be able to help, but Gildarts… it was your quick thinking that potentially saved her life. You were there for your child when she needed you most- Cana is a lucky girl to have a father as great as you."

If Master said anything else the Ace didn't hear, because at that moment Cana's nose wriggled in the way it always did when she first woke up. Blinking her beautiful purple eyes against the light, she groggily scanned the room until her eyes landed on him.

"Daddy?"

His heart skipped a beat as he heard her call him that again," Hi baby." He said gently," Go back to sleep sweetheart- everything's okay now."

She gave a sleepy nod, "Okay." And almost immediately fell back to sleep.

He wasn't going to let her out of his sight for a while, but… everything would return to normal eventually. She was alright and that was the most important thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this came to me in the middle of the night, I wrote this down on a piece of scrap paper then crashed. He definitely would be the type of parent to go overboard during sick days, but… Gildarts is a good dad who just wants the best for his baby. I took a few liberties with symptoms, because I've never had my appendix out and I don't know anyone who has so if I got anything wrong I apologize. My understanding is its more like a flu the first day or two and then it gets bad.
> 
> Also Cana is fifteen here if you were curious.
> 
> Please tell me what you think!


	27. Tattoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cana comes back from a weekend trip with a tattoo, she thought that Master reacted like he did because he had realized that she wasn't a little girl anymore; meanwhile Makarov is trying to find out why Gildarts' ex wife is scrawled across Cana's shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This results from binge watching all thirteen seasons of Ink Master.

Cana wasn't sure what she had expected to walk away with when she had entered the competition, but it definitely hadn't been the piece of artwork scrawled across her right shoulder.

When her friend had told her that he was going to go compete in a tattoo competition she had wished him the best of luck- and then on a day when she had gotten epically trashed she decided to send in an application to be a canvas. A few days later she had received a notification that she had been selected to go on for portrait day.

While surprised, she had grabbed one of the only pictures of her mother she had and traveled up to Tanzaku to get it done.

The look on Zack's face when he saw her standing in the line of canvases had been hilarious- all slack jawed and slightly terrified at the prospect of tattooing her (he knew she'd give him hell if he screwed up- or just tell humiliating stories about him to the rest of the room while he did it). Shame they hadn't wound up assigned together but given how this turned out she didn't regret a thing.

Her artist had taken one look at the photo and had crafted a tattoo that was beyond anything she had ever seen. It looked like her mother, and it had a life to it that made her seem so _real_ as opposed to being just a picture on her skin.

It… it had been a long time since she had really taken the time to remember her mother, the way that she tied the bows on her birthdays presents just so, the way the house had always smelled like cinnamon, and how when her mother had played on their piano the air seemed to dance with the music; this experience had made her feel a lot more emotional than she had anticipated, but not in a bad way.

Of course, as soon as she had gotten back to the guild she had almost given Master a heart attack. Guess he still saw Cana as the child he had raised, but she was eighteen- if she wanted to get a tattoo, she would damn well get one.

She could carry her mother around with her now in a way she hadn't been able to before- she didn't care what anyone else had to say about it.

oOOOOo

Makarov was between a rock and a hard place at the moment. When Cana had come back from her weekend trip with that tattoo he'd almost had a heart attack.

He hadn't seen Cornelia in almost twenty years- not since she and Gildarts had decided to call it quits- but he still remembered her face. Seeing Cana with the crash mage's ex-wife on her arm had been jarring to say the least and then when someone had asked her about it- the answer sent every alarm in his brain blaring.

The portrait tattoo was of her mother, Cornelia, who had passed away when she was a child.

Cana's mother had been Cornelia Alberona. If it had just been the face or just the name, he might have written it off as a coincidence- but together?

That little revelation had caused a suspicion to form in the back of his mind and in an effort to sate his own curiosity he had checked the brunette's file. Makarov had known roughly when everything between the two had fallen to pieces, but wasn't sure if just dates alone could give him a conclusive answer.

Turned out the dates hadn't even been necessary. Cornelia had listed Gildarts on Cana's birth certificate.

The strongest mage in Fiore had an eighteen-year-old daughter who Makarov was fairly certain that he had never even spoken to. The father and daughter had unknowingly been right next to each other all this time- what even were the chances of all of this happening?

Now onto the question- what the hell was he supposed to do with this information?

oOOOOo

To say Gildarts had been having a rough week would be an understatement- hell he'd been having a rough year.

He'd lost his arm, his leg, and damn near almost lost his life. The Century quest had definitely been too much for him to handle.

Well he had to think positive- he was still alive and was healing up great. He was adjusting to his prosthetics well. He just had to accept it all happened and move on with his life.

At least he would be on his way home soon- he had really missed Fairy Tail the last few years. Wonder if Natsu and little Lisanna had gotten together yet?

A loud ringing sound cut through his thoughts, confusing him for a moment before he placed the sound. The emergency lacrima- he answered it apprehensively, this thing was never used lightly: whatever was going on it was _bad_.

The sight of Master's stony expression set him even more on edge.

"Is anyone hurt?" The crash mage asked, slightly alarmed.

Makarov winced slightly, and looked at him with pity in his eyes- what was going on?

"Everyone's fine Gildarts. That's-that's not why I'm calling." The older man let out a frustrated breath before continuing," I found something about Cornelia Gildarts- something you deserve to hear."

That got the Ace's attention- Conny had been gone for a long time now, and while that thought made his heart hurt, he had accepted it for the reality that it was. What could Master have possibly found out that was so important he would call on the emergency line?

The miniature guildmaster visibly steeled himself before he dropped the bombshell," Gildarts… Gildarts you have a daughter."

The world stopped turning, time stopped moving, and the only sound he could hear was the echo of his own heartbeat in his ears. He had a daughter? Conny- Conny had his baby?

"-darts. Gildarts." Oh. Master was trying to get his attention.

"…I'm here." He said tightly, trying to get himself under control (he had a _baby_ ).

"Master...where is she? Can-can I see her?" He had to see this girl (woman- he and Conny had split up eighteen years ago, she'd be a woman), this living proof that he and Cornelia had once shared something incredible. He had to get to know her, he had to hold her- who did she take after? Did she have her mother's eyes? Would… would she be willing to let him into her life?

"Gildarts- she's **here**. She's part of Fairy Tail and… and she has been for a long time now."

"…What?"

Master looked so, so sorry," She's been in Fairy Tail for a long time now." He repeated.

That meant- "The kids."

His mind started racing. There were what- four girls among the children the guild had raised? One of them was his.

Mira and Lisanna were obviously related so that ruled them out, which left Erza and Cana. From a raw power standpoint Erza made the most sense, but… she didn't look like Conny and she didn't look like him. Maybe that was ridiculous, but… his gut was telling him that it wasn't her, which meant-

"It's Cana, isn't it?"

Master looked visibly surprised before nodding gently, "Yes, it is."

He had spoken to her maybe twice in all the years she had been a part of Fairy Tail. He'd never really noticed her before- he had never thought she was important.

"Master how… how did you even find this out?"

The older man was silent for a moment," Apparently one of Cana's closest friends outside of the guild is a tattoo artist. He went to go compete in some art contest in Tanzaku and she went for the weekend to cheer him on- she came home with a tattoo." That made Gildarts freeze for a second- she was what, eighteen? That was way too young to get a tattoo! " Its… she got a picture of Cornelia, it was so well done that recognizing her was easy… after that and her confirmation that it was her mother, all I needed to do was look at her birth certificate."

"…What's she like Master?" He shouldn't have to ask that question. He should know what she was like. He should know all of her likes and dislikes, her pet peeves, and odd quirks. But he was asking another man who had raised his child in his place.

The shorter man softened slightly," She's a powerful girl, not overwhelmingly so like some of the other children, but she's a leader who will never leave anyone behind. She is one of the best strategists I have ever seen, I don't think anyone has ever beat her at chess. She can drink anyone under the table and never falter. She has a loud presence to her; she can make anyone laugh if she tries. She is also one of the most talented dancers I have ever seen- her ballet instructors have started having her teach the younger students- "

"She dances?" Gildarts was suddenly struck with an image of that wide-eyed little girl he had seen so many years ago in a small pink tutu with little slippers on her feet.

Makarov didn't even seem to care about the interruption," I've never missed a single one of her recitals and I never will- I have lacrima recordings of all of them, you can borrow them when you come home."

Home. That sounded even more appealing than it had before. Home, where his daughter was.

"Master… I'll be home as soon as I possibly can, just… can you please make sure- "

"I'll keep her in town." The other man promised, before giving him a wry smirk," I have plenty of things I could use some help with, and its always more relaxing when she plays something for me, she's gotten quite good on the violin."

She played the violin too, just one more thing that he hadn't known about her. He could fix this, he might not be able to get all those years back, but he could damn well try to make up for it.

"I'll be home soon Master- I promise."

oOOOOo

'Soon' wound up being three weeks later.

It wasn't as fast as he had wanted, but ultimately distance and being a human who needed sleep won out.

His mind had kept running through the few memories he had of her, of seeing her for the first time, the tiniest, most adorable little girl he had ever seen, holding a small dog on a leash. What were the chances of all of this even happening in the first place?

That after Cornelia died their daughter would somehow wind up in the same guild as her father, that the two would never realize the connection they shared. If Cana had never gotten that tattoo- how long would this secret have been buried? Another year? A full lifetime?

Master had been a god send- breaking standard protocol to give him regular updates on her. Apparently the old man was pulling every excuse in his arsenal to prevent the card mage from taking any out-of-town jobs: from guilt tripping her into playing something for him on one of the many instruments she worked with, to having her discuss strategies from older mission reports on what she would have done differently, to calling her dance school and persuading them to have Cana take over teaching a few more classes. According to the older man, she definitely knew something was up but was choosing to play along.

To say Gildarts was grateful was an understatement. Master didn't have to do this- didn't have to keep her there just so he could tell her the truth on his terms, he certainly hadn't had to look through Cana's file after seeing the tattoo, but the miniature guildmaster was adamant that it wasn't a big deal. He had raised both of them and it was his responsibility to make sure his children were happy- withholding information as important as this would be detrimental to that.

The crash mage wasn't sure how this was going to go. Cana was a grown woman, strong, confident, intelligent, and talented: was there even any room for him in her life? Would she hate him for not being there for any of her moments before or after arriving at the guild, for letting her mother walk away? He already loved her so damn much- but what would happen if she wasn't interested in a father- daughter relationship?

Well, if she didn't want him in her life that was her right and he would respect it. He couldn't put his own wants above hers, that was how being a parent was supposed to work and if that was all he could do he would do it.

And as he looked around at the sea of new and familiar faces around him, he subtly scanned the room for the brunette that had come to be the center of his whole world in three weeks. He spotted her sitting on a table near the bar, chugging beer straight from the barrel. The Ace had to furiously stomp down on the reflex that demanded he go take it away from her and cover her up; she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions and he didn't have the right to parent her anyway.

She looked so much like her mom, he mused to himself, how had he never seen it before?

He had missed so much of her life, here's hoping she was willing to let him in.

He steeled himself and walked over.

"Hey Cana," he greeted cheerfully, getting a confused look from the card mage, who looked around for a minute before seeming to realize he was actually talking to her (and wasn't that a shot to the heart? That his daughter automatically thought his talking to her was some kind of mistake?).

"Um- Hi Gildarts," The girl stumbled, wide-eyed.

"Do- do you think we could talk privately for a few minutes Cana? Its- its important."

The violet-eyed girl blinked but nodded hesitantly, and as the two walked toward the backroom Gildarts saw the tattoo that had started all of this and it took his breath away. Prominently displayed on her right shoulder was the image of the love of his life, whoever the artist had been was certainly talented. Despite being a black and white image, it had a life to it: the shine of her eyes and the small scar at the corner of her lip- he had known that face so well, had traced every feature a thousand times, but Cornelia remained the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even after all these years. Though as he came to a stop in the back room he mentally corrected himself- Cana was the most beautiful, her mother took second place.

The card mage figeted a bit," So… what did you want to talk about?" She asked uneasily.

"I-" Why was talking so hard? He had rehearsed this over and over- why couldn't he say it?

Cana looked him up and down," You know, maybe we could do this lat-"

"I'm your father." He blurted out.

Silence.

Cana blinked, staring at him in astonshiment," You- what?"

"I'm your father." The Ace repeated carefully," I- Master recognized your mom when you got your tattoo and he did a little digging- and- and when he found out he called me. I swear I didn't know Cana! Your mom and I- we used to be married and things- things just fell apart; I didn't know about yo-"

He was cut off by a raised hand from the brunette.

"I know that you didn't know about me." Cana said quietly, it took a moment before Gildarts processed the implications of that statement.

"…you knew?"

The brunette nodded slowly, before admitting," I came to Fairy Tail because I was trying to find you. Mom- before she died she told me who you were and how to find you. I've tried to tell you so many times, but things just kept getting in the way and eventually I just couldn't do it anymore- my own low self esteem contributed to that I guess."

Gildarts could only stare open mouthed in shock and horror. Cana had been such a tiny child when she had joined the guild- all these years, all these years she had been trying to tell him the truth. All these years she had to watch as her daddy openly favored the other children and ignored her. How badly had he hurt her?

He didn't even think, he just pulled her into his arms, wrapping her up and pressing her head to his chest. "I'm so sorry Cana." He whispered into her hair.

"You didn't know- I don't blame you for anything." He pulled her closer, wanting more than anything to rewrite time- to go back and be there for every little moment. To be the kind of dad who would go to every dance recital and brag endlessly about her to anyone with a pulse, to take her sledding in the park when the snow was fresh, to be there for every little thing that he had missed.

"Can I call you Dad?"

He almost sobbed," Of course you can sweetheart! I promise we're always going to be together for now on- I don't care if its on a job or hitting up a bar. Just...please just let me love you!"

"I'm fine with that… Dad."

That was what broke the dam. All of the pent of emotions were released as father and daughter sobbed, desperately clinging to each other. It would take some time to adjust, you don't just become a family overnight, but everything was going to work out- they would make sure of it.

And if Gildarts tracked down the artist later to thank him for his part in all of this, well that's another story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took so long to get that ending out, I just needed to find the right balance and it took awhile before I was satisfied. The flying tackle-hug is great when she's young, but as an adult with baggage it's a lot more difficult. I definitely had Makarov praise her highly, some of it is actually from the series, I remember a little thing in one of the OVA's that Cana was almost undefeated in chess and she is always a leader when things get rough. I also had my own little headcannon that in this verse where Cana is a dancer that Makarov would be the kind of foster parent who never missed a recital (in my head I also have him dragging Laxus to them, but that's not important). And if any of you caught the Naruto reference I tip my hat to you!


	28. Stupid Brick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some god out there obviously hated her. That was the only explanation for how she wound up on an S-class job with her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never had a concussion before and only have experience through my brother (who honestly should be wearing a crash helmet 24/7).

The entirety of the guild was gathered in the guildhall, waiting for some kind of announcement that Master was going to make. Given that the S-class trials weren't for another few weeks, no one really had any idea what this could be about.

Cana was seated on a table near the bar partaking in one of her favorite activities aside from music and dancing- drinking. She'd already managed to get down nine barrels and was working on her tenth. As far as she was concerned there was no point in getting worked up until they all knew what was going on.

Nervous chatter died as the miniscule guildmaster took the stage.

"Attention everyone." He began needlessly," It has come to my attention that all of you brats tend to stay in your own circles and hardly interact with anyone else- so to rectify this I have come up with a-shall we say- bonding activity." Oh man this couldn't be good- that smirk promised _pain_.

The small man walked over to a small bingo cage, " In this cage are the names of everyone in the guild- I am going to spin this until two names come out and those two people will be assigned a job together. There will be absolutely no swapping partners." Makarov said, eyes roaming onto Juvia, Jet, and Droy respectively.

"Alright, let's begin." Makarov spun the small wire cage around until two small balls rolled out," It seems the first is Happy and Gray!"

Everyone ignored Juvia's sobs as the matching continued.

Cana was barely listening as Master rattled off the pairs. This didn't actually seem like a bad idea; it might be nice to work with someone different for a change.

"Carla and Bickslow!"

The brunette started mentally going through her checklist of things she needed to handle before going on a job. Let's see, she needed to check in at Griffith's to let them know…

"Wakaba and Evergreen!"

Damn that was a funny pair! Now, she had to drop off her rent money before she left, just in case she ended up with someone more destructive and wound up needing to pay damages (or bail- that could happen too).

"Wendy and Juvia!"

As she took another gulp from the barrel, the card mage idly wondered when she was going to get called.

"Cana and Gildarts!"

She choked. Cana sputtered violently as she tried to get the beer out of her lungs, with somebody helpfully pounding her on the back. Had that seriously just-!

Fuck.

Seriously just- _fuck_. What even were the chances she would get paired up with her old man? How… how was she supposed to do this?

After everybody had been paired, Master plucked several of the marbles off the table and put them back into the wire cage.

"One more thing!" He called out cheerfully," For the S-class wizards- one of you is getting an S-class job! Now, lets see who it is!"

Cana stared as the little cage rattled, praying to every god she had ever heard of that her luck couldn't be that bad. As the little ball rolled out, Cana felt a bead of sweat run down her face.

"And the job goes to Cana and Gildarts!"

It was official- all gods that existed hated her.

"So, I guess it's you and me, huh?"

oOOOOo

Gildarts was pretty open about all of this, and he couldn't say he was exactly disappointed in his assignment. Cana was a nice girl and had been nominated for the S-class trials four times, so she was definitely strong enough to hold her own. That said… her reaction to hearing his name left him pretty apprehensive. Seeing her choke like that… had he done something to make her dislike him? They'd never really interacted before, but what could he have done to warrant that reaction?

"So, I guess its you and me, huh?" He said, trying to be cheerful as the brunette recovered her composure. She really had grown into a beautiful young woman- a far cry from that wide-eyed little girl he remembered.

"Yeah, I guess so." The shocked girl responded, before shaking off whatever was bothering her. "I guess we should go grab the job info and then pack."

"That sounds about right." The crash mage agreed, watching as the card mage strode over to the bar to grab the flyer from Mira (and damn, but that transformation had been a surprise).

She somehow managed to dodge guildmates, drink a beer, and read the job request all at the same time as she returned to the table.

"Looks like we have some kind of cursed statue summoning fire-breathing zombie dinosaurs- not a sentence I ever thought I'd read. Travel alone is going to take three days at minimum. How about we meet back here tomorrow before we head out?"

The Ace nodded approvingly," That sounds great- seven work for you?"

The brunette nodded," Yeah, I'll just have to stop by the studio to let them know I won't be coming in for a while."

"Studio?" Gildarts asked curiously.

"I dance," Cana explained," I've been filling in for a friend of mine teaching the past few weeks since she broke her leg."

The redhead blinked for a moment before smiling," What do you know- we're bonding already!" He said cheerfully, causing the girl to let out a laugh, giving him a smile of her own. For a moment Gildarts was struck with the strangest sense of deja-vu- he'd seen that smile before, but where?

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Cana."

As he walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something. Why had Cana's smile felt so familiar? He mulled it over the entire walk home; whatever it was he was missing, it was important, if only he could figure it out.

oOOOOo

To say Gildarts was dumbfounded would be putting it mildly.

The mission had gone fantastically- Cana was a lot tougher than he had given her credit for. Fearlessly beating down the fiery hell beasts without so much as batting an eye. She had figured out exactly where the weak points on the damn things were and how to hit them efficiently. Then she had figured out how to destroy the statue that caused this entire clusterfuck. And she had done all of this in a fraction of the time it would have taken him to figure out the same.

So, after making it through swarms of fiery undead lizards and destroying the damn statue with barely a scratch on her- what does her in?

A fucking brick.

A fucking brick fell from fucking nowhere and cracked her in the head hard enough to knock her out. What kind of comic book bullshit was this?

Well, at least it seemed like she was coming back around, he thought as he carefully pulled the dazed girl into a sitting position, heavily supporting her.

"You okay Cana?" He asked cautiously, carefully taking in how her eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything. Probably a concussion.

"That's not my name." She said kind of spacy," Everybody calls me that, why does everybody call me that? Mama calls me Rebecca, what do people call me Cana for? Though everybody calls me that and I call me that, so maybe it is my name."

Despite the situation, Gildarts had to hide a smile; she definitely had to be concussed to be babbling like that.

"Rebecca- you know I've always liked that name," He said conversationally," Would you like me to call you that?"

The girl shook her head," Cana's fine." She chirped before blinking owlishly up at him," What hit me?"

"A brick." He said calmly, finding her concussed state more than a little bit funny and felt that if she wasn't worried than he shouldn't be either. He'd bring her to a doctor to get checked out, but for now he couldn't really do much.

"…stupid brick." She said indignantly, pouting like a child denied candy, it was adorable.

"I think you're concussed."

"…Stupid concussions. Always say stuff you don't wanna say and I got lotsa stuff I shouldn't say." She rambled.

"Oh? Like what?" He asked amused, not expecting her to actually answer.

"Like that you're my dad." She continued, ignoring him as he choked on his own tongue in shock. "Mama told me to tell you, but I didn't tell you- it's a secret so shhh." Cana blinked rapidly, before her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed against her shellshocked father.

oOOOOo

Cana groaned at the splitting headache as she slowly came to. Her head was pounding, and her mouth tasted like ash- how much did she drink last night? All of a sudden, all the memories slammed to the forefront of her mind making her eyes fly open as she staggered to a sitting position, only to start retching violently.

"Woah, woah, woah, woah." All of a sudden, a strong pair of arms were supporting her, steadying her shaky body as she tried to make the world come into focus.

It took a moment for the rapidly spinning world to stop and another for her to get her bearings, all the while Gildarts soothingly rubbed at her back, trying to get her to calm down.

Some god obviously hated her. That was the only explanation. She had gone on an S-class job with her father and in the aftermath of that mission she had gotten concussed and had blurted out the secret that she had kept for so long.

Gildarts cleared his throat before speaking quietly," You okay Cana?"

The brunette swallowed before shakily nodding," … yeah I think I am."

The man took a breath," You… before you passed out you… you said some stuff."

Cana stilled- should she play dumb? Say she didn't remember-?

"You said I was your dad."

No, she was going to face this.

"…I remember. I'm sorry I dropped it on you like that. Its… that's not how I ever wanted to tell you."

She chanced a glance at the older mage, only to be met with her father's shocked face. Something about the look in his eyes made her want to curl in on herself.

"You- you're really my- "

Cana just wordlessly nodded.

Gildarts speechlessly opened and closed his mouth, not sure what to say in response to a bomb like this. He had a daughter. He was holding his adult daughter and he might never have found out she was his if she hadn't gotten hit in the head with a brick.

"You- you said that your mom wanted you to tell me…" he trailed off, he always made sure that he left a way for him to be contacted if this ever happened which meant that whoever had mothered his child had deliberately kept him out of her life.

"She… she told me who you were before she died… I came to Fairy Tail to find you. I just- things just kept getting in the way when I tried to tell you."

"You said that your real name's Rebecca."

Cana nodded, not sure why that was what he chose to focus on. But for Gildarts… for Gildarts that was the last piece for the whole puzzle to click into place. He had an eighteen-year-old daughter with a smile that was so familiar named Rebecca, and the only person who he had ever told about that name…

"You're Cornelia's daughter, aren't you."

The brunette blinked in surprise before nodding," Yeah, yeah I am. How did you- "

"She named you Rebecca. We… of all the women I've ever been with she's the only one I ever loved, and we talked about having kids. I… I told her that if I ever had a little girl, I would name her Rebecca." Gildarts felt her stiffen in surprise as he spoke," Your mom- Conny hated it so damn much. Wanted to name any little girl we had 'Arcana'."

"That's my middle name." Cana interrupted quietly.

"I- I'm so sorry Cana." Neither was sure what the crash mage was apologizing for.

The two just sat in silence for what felt like hours, before Cana gently pushed him away from her.

"You don't have to worry Gildarts I don't expect anything from you- things can stay the way they are, it just… it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest. But… if I can say this just once- I'm glad I met you Dad."

The Ace couldn't breathe, he just stared at the beautiful woman that shared his blood. He remembered seeing her for the first time, a beautiful little girl smiling up at him like he was the greatest thing in the world to her. Of that same little girl in the flashes he'd seen over the years. He felt tears come to his eyes as he pulled his child as tight to him as he could.

"Cana- will you let me be your dad? Will you give me the right to love you?"

Cana was surprised but leaned into her father's chest as she answered," You've always had it … Dad."

The dam broke as father and daughter sobbed like toddlers as they clung to each other. After a while Gildarts realized that he had something to do as Cana's father. Without any warning he stood up, making Cana yelp in surprise as her father was suddenly carrying her bridal style.

"Well let's go Princess- we need to get you checked out. That brick hit you hard."

Cana gaped for a moment before struggling to get down from her father's hold," Let me down dammit! The brick hit me in the head not the feet-!"

"But Daddy can't take any chances with your safety Princess! There's roots and bones and rocks and all sorts of things- what if you trip and break something? Or what if- "

Gildarts kept on rambling on about the dangers that walking posed to his precious little girl as he headed back to the town that had hired them, if Cana stopped fighting after a few moments and Gildarts held her a little closer than he necessarily needed to neither said anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not quite sure about the ending but I'm overall pretty happy with how this one translated from my head to the page. I saw the idea of doing jobs with someone they don't normally work with done a few times and decided to combine it with a concept of her blurting it out after a concussion (I came up with that one in the first few chapters but discarded it- glad I worked this out!). I also went a little heavy praising her skill but she's my favorite character and I wish we saw more of her throughout the series.
> 
> The line 'the brick hit me in the head not the feet' came from a Bleach fic called Breathing Lessons.


	29. Babysitting Guidelines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts has to go back to work and in order to make sure his little princess is well taken care of he has a *few* guidelines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought about doing dating guidelines, but then I realized that he probably wouldn't let her date and then went with my second idea. This is kind of inspired by the first time I babysat- she gave me the most stupidly detailed list on the planet, and I was only watching the kid for three hours.

As much as he might wish, his sole job wasn't to take care of Cana. For the first few months after his precious angel had come into his life he'd been on a pseudo-paternal leave. Putting all of his energy into making sure Cana got settled in and that he knew how to be the father his darling deserved. Unfortunately, the grace period was now officially over.

A dark guild utilizing some pretty nasty magic had been terrorizing a small village on an island called Terasaka. It was a job that no one less than an S-class mage could do, and he was the only S-class wizard Fairy Tail had available. But… this was going to be the first time he was separated from Cana since he brought her home and… well this might be described as 'separation anxiety'.

Master was more than willing to take Cana in for however long the job would end up lasting. Gildarts trusted the old man, he had taken care of Cana for a month and a half before he had come back to Magnolia- but that didn't make him any less nervous. So, to make sure his princess was as well taken care of as possible, he had written up a few little guidelines.

"- bath time is typically seven, but if she's been inside all day then its okay to skip one. No candy of any kind before lunch- she won't eat anything if she has some. Speaking of lunch, I have a meal plan written out on page twenty-six. It's nothing too fancy, just things she will eat, things she won't, and things that if she doesn't eat, she doesn't get dessert."

"Gildarts, do you remember when we had that talk about being too protective?" Master interrupted flatly.

The red-haired man blinked," Of course I do- that's why she has an hour allotted for playground time in her schedule in addition to her indoor playtime- sunny days only of course." He finished frantically, he didn't think Master would put her health at risk by letting her play in the rain, but it never hurt to clarify.

For some reason Master just gave him this totally unimpressed look before nodding," Uh-huh."

The Ace decided to ignore his lack of enthusiasm and continued," Bedtime is at eight and she won't sleep without Roo, so please make sure she has him during the bedtime routine. She likes a bedtime story and I listed all of her favorites on page forty-three." He said, flipping to the appropriate page to show the older man the list.

"Its okay to let her pick out her clothes for the day but she still has trouble tying her shoes. Am I forgetting anything?" The crash mage muttered to himself as he looked over the manual.

"Oh yes, one more thing!" He said brightly, pulling out four small communication lacrimas. "I have the matching pairs to each of these- if anything happens or if she misses me too much you can reach me on any of them, any time day or night. I mean… I'd like it if we could talk at least twice a day, but that might be a little tricky with the time change issues."

"Gildarts, why did you get four?" The older man asked incredulously, making the red-haired man flush slightly.

"There's no shame in being thorough." He said shortly.

"Oh, you have certainly been thorough." Makarov muttered under his breath.

"So that- that should be everything," Gildarts said in a tone that was definitely higher pitched than was normal. "You know what? Maybe we should go over this one more- "

"Gildarts go kiss your daughter goodbye and get going- the sooner you leave the sooner you'll be back." The guildmaster said roughly- beyond done with this crap. He'd be sure to have another talk with him about being too smothering once he got back.

As endearing as it was to see him be so attentive to his daughter, there was a point at which it became too much and Gildarts passed that point a long time ago.

Maybe it made him a terrible babysitter, but if Cana and Laxus stayed up late, ate ice cream before dinner one night, and splashed around in the mud then that was just him making sure she got some normal childhood experiences that she might otherwise have been deprived of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a second part that I'm drafting that might get posted- an alternate ending where Cana sneaks onto the job with Gildarts and everyone is left wondering why he has a kid with him and he just excuses it with 'haven't you ever heard of bring your child to work day'? I had a lot of fun coming up with overprotective Gildarts rules- like how paranoid he would get over every little thing in his precious baby's life.
> 
> And if anyone's wondering the manual has a hundred and fifty pages total.


	30. Five Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five minutes may not be a lot, but it was more than she had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the guest who gave me this idea, the one who wanted just one moment where she has hope that maybe he'll accept her- I found it really easy to work with this idea. Thank you so much, I feel like I have been in a creative rut lately and this was a nice change of pace.

It was hard to watch sometimes. To see how her father treated Natsu like the pinkette was his own son, while he barely knew she even existed. Even though she knew that it was her own fault that he didn't know who she really was to him, it didn't make things hurt any less.

It wasn't even anything in particular that made her feel so horrible. Things like how Gildarts taught Natsu how to fight or sometimes played catch with him when the weather was nice- those things didn't bother her for some reason. But when she heard him teasing Natsu about Lisanna, or how he knew that Natsu had done something specific on some job and was eager to praise him for it. He knew all about the dragon slayers likes and dislikes down to how many marshmallows he liked in his hot chocolate. He yelled at him when he screwed up and praised him when he did good. All this he knew about and did for someone else's child while he didn't even know Cana's name.

That wasn't fair and she knew it. Natsu had had a hard life, losing his father figure and she was proud of Gildarts for stepping up to fill that space in his life. Beyond that the brunette was pretty sure that nobody knew her actual name, so it really didn't count.

It was her own fault- if she wasn't so pathetic, she would have told him a long time ago. Gildarts probably wouldn't even want a weakling like her for a kid. He probably didn't even remember her mother but acknowledging that it was her own fault didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

Usually she could put it out of her mind, just take a job and put as much space as she could between herself and everybody, not today though.

This had been the first snowfall in Magnolia this year and Cana had to abide by tradition. Ever since she was little, she and her mother would make a snowman during the first snowfall- a way to ring in the season. Even though her mother had been gone for a long time she still kept up the tradition.

But it just wasn't going well this time. No matter what she tried she just couldn't get it to stand straight up. It was making her already upset mind even more frustrated- which certainly wasn't helping.

"Cana? What are you doing?"

The brunette girl stiffened, slowly turning around to face her father, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. All of a sudden, she was at a loss for words.

"It- it won't stay straight." She said dumbly.

The crash mage shrugged before offering," I could give you a hand if you want."

Still speechless, Cana opened and closed her mouth for a moment before nodding," I- uh, I'd like that a lot, thank you."

As the older man crouched to get a better look at the construction, he immediately noticed what the problem was," Looks like he's just a little off balance is all." He said nonchalantly as he packed snow around the middle of the snowman.

"Um- thanks." She said numbly as she helped to pack in the white fluff, inserting the buttons along the front as she went.

After they had finished the body, and set the face in place, Cana topped it off by putting the hat onto its head.

"There now- he looks rather dashing, doesn't he?" The Ace pointed out with a smile.

Cana was about to respond when a loud whistle got both of their attention, the redhead's eyes bugging out.

"Oh shit- by Cana!" He yelled over his shoulder as he desperately ran to catch his train, leaving his daughter by her completed snowman.

He had just spent five minutes of his time helping her make a snowman. That might not be much, but for Cana it was more than she'd had before. He had spent five minutes of his life acting like how she always imagined he would act if he knew that he was her dad. Like he acted with Natsu. And now she had hope that maybe, just maybe he wouldn't mind so much to have her for a daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering how old she is... well you're not alone. I couldn't really pick an age that felt right, so lets just go with 'young'. If I was a little unclear, Gildarts spent five minutes of his time helping her fix something that to him probably wasn't that important, but to Cana he was taking some time to help her out with something very meaningful- acting for her like he does with Natsu. She thinks that maybe he wouldn't mind having her for a child if he's willing to do something like that when he doesn't know who she really is.


	31. Meddling Mira

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The resident matchmaker of Fairy Tail decided that it is her duty as Cana's friend to set her up with a good guy and she had just the guy in mind. Cana and Gildarts would be so cute together after all!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning- Mentions of Incest (nothing actually happens), low self esteem, and mention of a mental breakdown that resulted in suicide watch.  
>  Don't worry guys- despite her best efforts the two never become anything more than friends before the big reveal. Thank you cowseatgrass for the tarot idea, took me a while to figure out how to use it and I hope you like how this turned out.

Mira knew that to some people this would probably be considered 'nosy' or 'meddling', but she just wanted to see her friend be happy- was that so wrong?

She had noticed Cana's behavior around the crash mage, how the normally brash girl became shy and awkward whenever the older man was at the guild- the brunette had obviously been crushing hard for a long time now and as her friend it was her duty to try to help!

To start she had to get Gildarts to notice Cana and she knew exactly how to do it.

"Good morning Gildarts!" The white-haired girl chirped happily.

"Morning Mira." The red headed man replied back with a smile.

"Sooo… I don't mean to be rude or anything Gildarts, but…" Mira trailed off, taking care to seem a little unsure.

"What? I don't really get offended that easily- what's eating you?" He asked curiously.

"We-e-ell… I was helping Master organize the files and… well I read yours…" the take-over mage said sheepishly," Its just- do you really not know anything about your family?"

Gildarts blinked for a moment before shrugging," Not a thing." He admitted," Its not really a big deal; I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, but there isn't really anyway for me to find anything out."

"Well you could always ask Cana." The She-Devil suggested casually, making Gildarts stare at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"With Cana's fortune-telling skills I'm sure she'd be able to tell you something at least," she said nonchalantly while polishing a glass," She's one of the foremost experts in card magic- I'd be more surprised if she _couldn't_ tell you anything."

Hook.

Gildarts mulled that over for a moment.

Line.

A shrug. "Eh, what the hell- can't hurt to ask."

Sinker.

Mira carefully made sure that none of her satisfaction read on her face, before casually mentioning," She should swing by the guild any minute now- eight in the morning like clockwork on Wednesdays."

"Really?" He asked curiously," Wonder why?"

"I don't really know- why don't you ask her?" Mira threw out with a smile- Cana would thank her for this later.

oOOOOo

When Cana strolled through the doors that morning the last thing she expected was for her father-of all people- to approach her.

"Hey Cana," The Ace said happily as he settled across from her, much to the brunette's shock

"Um- hi?" She stumbled- what the hell was going on?

"So, I actually have a favor I wanted to ask," he started casually," You see- I don't know anything about my family or where I came from, I was wondering if you might be able to give me a reading?'

Cana blinked stupidly for a moment before forcing herself to calm down- she just had to treat this like any normal reading. "I- you're going to need to pick a question as specific as possible." The brunette started, getting her cards out of her bag," The more specific you are the more I can give you."

The card mage firmly ignored the little voice in her head saying that she should tell him now: he wanted to know about family; what better time?

Gildarts thought it over as Cana shuffled her deck, before finally deciding." I want to know if I have any living family."

Cana carefully kept her feelings hidden as she tossed out the cards onto the table, flipping them over in quick succession. She studied the resulting formation, before giving out the verdict," You have at least one living blood relative, who is closer than you might think." Actually, it was better interpreted as 'who is right in front of you', but… being a little vague wouldn't kill anybody.

Gildarts blinked in surprise for the umpteenth time that morning- that was something alright. As he opened his mouth to ask if she could get anything more specific, Cana's stomach growled. Laughing a little at the brunette's embarrassed blush," Thanks for that, suppose the least I can do is buy you breakfast."

"I wouldn't be against that," the violet eyed girl said wryly, not being one to turn down a free meal," Guild always has the best pancakes on Wednesdays- milk delivery comes at eight and first person in gets chocolate chips."

Hey, she may not be as bad as some of her guildmates but she liked her breakfast!

Gildarts looked at her slightly amazed," I've been a member of this guild for how many years now and I didn't know that was a thing?" At least that solved the mystery of why she showed up at the same time on Wednesdays.

Cana gave him a little smile," Tell you what- you can have a bite of mine!"

"Now that's an offer I certainly won't refuse," the man replied with a smile of his own.

Unnoticed by both of them, Mira smiled happily as she watched them interact, she'd have them together by the end of the week!

oOOOOo

The next phase of her plan was going to be tricky. Gildarts largely still saw them all as kids, if she was going to get the two of them together, she had to find a way to get him to see Cana as a woman.

She served the crash mage another round and casually commented," Geez, between you and Cana I wouldn't be surprised if we run out of beer."

The older man laughed a bit," Yeah that was a surprise- never seen anyone drink that much and still be able to walk!"

The white-haired girl smiled before asking," Who do you think has the stronger tolerance- you or Cana?"

The red head shrugged before loudly replying," Cana can hold her liquor, but I've got a lifetime of drinking behind me- pretty sure I'd take it."

That got a round of cheers from the surrounding guildmembers.

"That sounds like Cana has a challenger!" Macao yelled to the crowded room, getting an enthusiastic response as he turned toward the card mage," What do you say Cana- you up for it?"

The brunette girl looked a little surprised, before giving the room a shrug," I don't know guys- I wouldn't want to embarrass him too badly when he loses." She said with a smirk, the crowd all cheering at the jab.

Gildarts himself let out a laugh and roared," Those are fighting words: _bring out the beer_!"

The question of who had the higher tolerance unfortunately would have to be answered at a later date as between the two of them the guild ran out of beer after about fifteen minutes. The pair managed to drain a total of forty-two barrels between them. It had certainly been entertaining if nothing else, even though neither of them were anything more than tipsy.

The crash mage let out a loud belch, before clapping a rosy-cheeked Cana on the back," Talk about a run for my money! I've never had someone that could keep up with me like that before!"

Cana hiccuped as she nodded," Same here!"

"We'll just have to settle this another time then."

"I could take you any day of the week Gildarts!" The brunette yelled before she playfully stuck her tongue out at her opponent.

Phase two of Operation Romance complete.

oOOOOo

The next phase actually happened more as a coincidence than anything else. Mira had been trying to figure out a way to get them to spend more time together when the perfect opportunity (literally) fell right into her lap.

An emergency request- a town on the other side of mount Hakobe was being threatened by an unstoppable monster. It was perfect.

"Gildarts!" She called out as he walked in the door. "We have an emergency request- you up for it?" She asked, sliding the paper across the bar to the crash mage.

For his part the Ace barely even looked at the flyer before nodding," Of course- always up for a job."

"Great- but I do have a favor if you wouldn't mind hearing me out first." The take-over mage asked seriously, getting a level stare from the older man.

"Shoot."

Mira took a deep breath," The S-class trials are coming up and… well I'm worried about Cana. She tends to beat herself up a lot around this time of year and maybe this could be the confidence boost she needs to make it this year." It wasn't a lie; she _was_ worried about her. After the nervous breakdown last year when the card mage had quietly been put on suicide watch, Mira was willing to do whatever she could to help Cana make it this year.

Gildarts was surprised, but was more than willing," Sure- hell I might have asked her to come along even if you hadn't said anything."

Mira's matchmaking instincts started blaring as she tried to act natural," Oh really? Why?"

"Well over the past few days we've talked a lot and she's a lot of fun to be around, we actually have a lot in common." He admitted.

"Oh- well that's nice isn't it?" _Yes!_

The red headed man shrugged," I guess it is." And walked over to the table where Cana was chugging down a barrel.

"Hey Cana!" He greeted as he sat down next to her, making the brunette put down the barrel.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand," Uh- hi Gildarts?"

"So, an emergency job request came in- care to come with me?"

For a moment she just stared. Gaping like a concussed fish as she repeated his words over and over in her head as she tried to puzzle out whatever code he obviously must have been using. Him- the pride of Fairy Tail and her biological father- had just asked her- the dregs of the younger generation- to go on an S-class emergency request with him?!

"…What?" She asked dumbly, getting a confused look from the red head as he repeated himself.

"Do you want to go on a job with me?"

He said it twice- what the hell?

"I-I… why are you asking me?" She stuttered.

Gildarts was feeling a little bewildered as he answered," …Because I want you to come with me?"

"No- I meant why aren't you asking Natsu or Gray or Erza- you know someone actually strong." She clarified.

That made Gildarts' jaw slacken just a bit- did she honestly think so little of herself?

"Cana- there's no one else I'd rather have my back than someone tough enough to prove she's worthy of S-class four times over. More than that, you'll be good company too."

Hearing those words come out of her father's mouth made her feel… something. Some kind of warmth in her chest that she'd never felt before (he thought she was strong- did he really think she was strong?). "I- okay I guess." She said, partly in shock gaining a huge grin from the crash mage.

"Great- but we gotta go now." He said climbing to his feet," It's time sensitive." He explained to the card mage.

Cana nodded, still kind of shocked but knowing how to compartmentalize when it came to work," Sounds good- shall we?"

As the two headed out the doors to go fight a monster and save the day, Mira smiled to herself. Even if they didn't wind up getting together, maybe this job would be what Cana needed to get some confidence in herself. Her friend's well being came first and after all these years of seeing Cana's opinion of herself sink lower and lower, it was good to finally do something.

Though… if they also fell in love and decided to elope on the way back that would be nice too.

oOOOOo

While they did not, in fact, elope on the way back to the guild, the mission did go so well that Gildarts was singing the card mage's praises around the guildhall.

He was holding court as he told the entire guild about the job, wildly gesticulating for emphasis.

"-so, I'm trying to get this kid out of the danger zone, the monster is about to stomp on us, and Cana comes out of nowhere and BAM!" He smashed his fist down on his leg for emphasis," And then she blew it up!" He said enthusiastically.

"Easily one of the most spectacular explosions I've ever seen." He said reverently, pulling Cana into his side with one arm to give her a hug, as well as pull her into the spotlight. Cana's face was cherry red as she avoided eye contact with anyone, but she had a smile on her face all the same.

The night continued with everyone celebrating a successful job with booze, food, and war stories galore. At some point during the night Cana fell asleep on the bar, a peaceful smile on her face.

Gildarts looked down at the sleeping beauty when the night was coming to a close as almost everyone had gone home," How did she sleep through all of that?" He wondered out loud- the chaos had gotten pretty damn loud.

"She can sleep through anything- we actually have a scrapbook dedicated to it." Mira said with a shrug as she wiped down the tables.

"A scrapbook?" He asked incredulously.

The white-haired girl nodded, not even stopping her work as she explained," Cana's the heaviest sleeper on the planet. The scrapbook's filled with pictures of some of the weirder places we've caught her sleeping."

Morbidly curious he had to ask," Where was the weirdest?"

"The roof of the original guildhall- she was cuddling a bag of potatoes for some reason."

Gildarts had to stifle a laugh- damn he'd have to see if he could see that picture, certainly sounded funny.

"So… do we wake her up or-?" The crash mage asked uncertainly looking at the card mage, she looked so peaceful it would be a shame to wake her.

Mira was about to say yes when a light bulb went off in her head," Oh that wouldn't do any good." The barmaid lied without remorse," When she falls asleep absolutely nothing can wake her- just have to wait for her to do that herself."

"Oh. Well… she can't stay like that all night." He said slightly worried about the state of Cana's back if they left her like that. "Should I take her home?"

"Yeah… didn't think about that." Mira said sheepishly," I know she moved recently, but I don't know her new address." That was true, Cana _had_ moved recently- from the second floor of Fairy Hills to the first floor and Mira didn't know her new room number.

"Uh… can she bunk with you-?"

The take-over mage shook her head," Since Lisanna came back things have been a bit of a tight squeeze- we're looking for a bigger place but haven't found anything yet."

Gildarts paused for a second mulling things over before hesitantly suggesting," Well… I guess I could always take her home with me. I mean one night couldn't hurt right?"

Mira smiled," Oh that's so nice of you Gildarts!" She said happily," I'm sure she won't mind!"

The crash mage picked up the sleeping brunette, marveling slightly when she didn't even stir as he moved her into a bridal carry. More than a little awkward he headed off home, leaving Mira behind as she finished closing up for the night.

Oh they'd have such beautiful babies together!

oOOOOo

All was well in the Fairy Tail guild. A quiet morning with no property damage, no brawls, no threats of legal action, and no drama.

That was until Cana burst into the guildhall on the warpath.

"MIRA- WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!" She roared furiously, as she made a beeline towards the barmaid.

The white-haired girl blinked innocently," Oh good morning Cana- what's the matter?"

Cana's right eye twitched, before she put on a smile that was entirely too much teeth," Oh, nothing much- but would you care to tell me why you have been trying to set me and Gildarts up lately?"

The eldest Strauss tried to play dumb," I don't know- "

"Don't give me that crap." Cana snapped, interrupting the other girl," How about this- care to explain why I woke up in his bed this morning?"

That got spit takes from everyone that were not even trying to pretend like they weren't watching, though both girls ignored them as Mira squealed," You got together?!"

"No, we did not." Cana said sharply, gritting her teeth as she resisted the urge to strangle her. "Apparently when I fell asleep last night you told him that I had moved recently and suggested that waking me up would be a waste of time, so he brought me home. The drinking contests, the job, the conversations- all have been instigated by you. You have been pulling your matchmaking bullshit on us and I want to know why."

At the dangerous tone in the other girl's voice Mira decided to come clean.

"I was just trying to help! You've been crushing on him for years so- "

She was interrupted once again by Cana.

"What- what made you think I was crushing on _Gildarts_?!" She asked incredulously, a look of utter disgust on her face- as if the idea of having a crush on the Ace was completely repulsive to her.

That reaction made the barmaid more than a little confused," But the way you've always acted around him- "

"Let me be clear: I have never and will never have a crush on Gildarts!"

The She-Devil was not going to give it up though, "Why not?"

"Because unlike some people _I_ don't get turned on by _incest!_ " The brunette snarled.

"What?!"

It was at that moment that Cana froze, fifty emotions crossing her face as she slowly turned around, faced with her father's shocked and confused face, along with the rest of the guild.

"Cana- what?" Gildarts was at a loss for words as he stared at the dark-haired girl- incest? Did that mean-?

The card mage took a deep breath before answering," One of your flings was my mom- congratulations it's a girl." She said sarcastically, before caustically biting out," Don't worry I won't be moving in."

With those parting words she left the guildhall as quickly as she possibly could, wanting to put as much distance as she could between herself and the shattered remains of her life.

oOOOOo

Gildarts was in shock.

He felt like that was a pretty reasonable state all things considered.

He had a kid.

The beautiful, amazing young woman who he had felt he was becoming close to was his daughter, and she had known this. When he had asked about family, the reading she had given him was that his family was closer than he might think- had that been her way of trying to tell him the truth?

People around him were saying stuff, but he couldn't hear them.

When she had woken up that morning, she had initially been a little freaked out- asking him how she had gotten there and when he had answered she had gotten upset and stormed out. And when he followed her, he had gotten a front row seat to her yelling at Mirajane for trying to set them up and didn't that thought stir up mixed feelings? That if someone had told him even a few hours ago they wanted to set him up with Cana he might have even been receptive to the idea- and now that he knew the truth the thought made him nauseous.

She had just- how was he supposed to react?

'One of your flings was my mom.'

Which one was her mother? He had been with a lot of women over the years and even though he always took precautions (that apparently failed at least once), he always made sure that the girl could contact him if she got pregnant. Whoever mothered his daughter had deliberately kept him out of her life.

How did he begin to make up for all the missed moments?

Wait- better question: why the hell was he sitting here and not out looking for her?

With that thought he immediately stood up, ready to comb the entire town if he had to when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to see Master with his arm stretched out.

"There's a music store across town called Griffith's- I'd check there first." The old man said gruffly, looking at him with an expression that was one part sympathy to two parts pity.

Gildarts mouth was dry as he tried to come up with something to say before he just nodded. He had been kept out of his daughter's life for long enough. Right now… that job with her had been enough to see how low her self esteem was, he didn't even want to guess how she might be feeling right now.

He had a daughter now- her feelings and well being came first.

oOOOOo

Griffith's was a low building with wide glass windows on all sides exposing the inside of the shop, where a familiar head of dark hair was seated at a piano.

The red head swallowed before entering, a little bell ringing as he stepped through the door. Cana turned on reflex at the sound, freezing like a deer in headlights as she caught sight of him. Her eyes were red, and she had tear tracks dried on her cheeks.

"What- how did you- "She fumbled trying to figure out what to ask.

"Master told me where I'd find you." He said lowly, trying not to make an already difficult situation even harder.

"Oh."

Things were quiet for a moment before Gildarts decided to break the silence.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Had she thought he'd be a bad dad?

"…I tried." Cana swallowed fighting down another wave of tears before she continued," I'm- sorry about the guildhall, of all the ways I thought about telling you… I'm sorry you found out like that."

"…Its okay." It wasn't but they'd both let the lie stand for now," What do you mean 'you tried'?"

Cana furiously rubbed at her face and push her hand through her hair," I came to the guild to find you." She admitted," My mother told me who you were before she died, and I came here looking for you. I tried to tell you who I was…so many times. Eventually I just- stopped. My self esteem was so low I just couldn't do it anymore- I figured you wouldn't want a kid who was the dregs of Fair- "

He didn't let her finish, he just grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, and that seemed to be the last straw for Cana. The girl broke down in his arms, burying her face into his chest as she cried and Gildarts rubbed her back and supported her until she calmed down, the sobs eventually becoming sniffles.

He'd had his child right in front of him all these years- he could beat himself up for this later, right now…

"Cana- I don't know much about being a dad, but if its okay with you… do you think we could try? I-I want the chance to love you."

"That's- that's okay with me… Dad."

He pulled back a little bit and wiped the tears off her face, there were so many questions he needed answers to, but first-

"Think you could teach an old dog a new trick?" He asked wryly, gesturing at the piano in front of them getting a shy smile from the most beautiful girl in the world as the father and daughter sat down on the bench and began an impromptu music lesson.

Yes there were questions he needed answered, but this took precedence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came to me in the middle of an exam and I had to get it down. I realized that her shy behavior when she was a kid could have been interpreted as a crush and since Mira's shipping habits are well-known this was born. I tried to keep the ratio of funny to angst as balanced as I could- what did you guys think?
> 
> Also- believe it or not that scrapbook actually exists. I have a unique bond with one of my sisters, she is the heaviest sleeper on the planet (slept through an earthquake, a fire alarm, and five of us screaming right next to her) and I sleepwalk- so the book was born to document the weirdest situations they've ever seen us in. The potato one and the roof actually happened, though not at the same time. I somehow managed to get up on the roof without waking me or anyone else up and we found her cuddling the potatoes in the pantry.
> 
> You might have noticed that the Cornelia revelation didn't happen- I just figured with the way that I laid it out there wasn't really anywhere I could put it where it looked right.


	32. Shock Blanket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entirety of the guild was in shock at the revelation of Cana's parentage, one thing everyone agreed on, though, was that Gildarts should be the one to tell her. But its so hard to stay quiet about something this huge.
> 
> Warning: Description of bone ripping through someone's skin and a lot of blood- its not that detailed but I figured that I would mention it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Medical stuff is 'meh' accurate- mostly because when I worked in a hospital it was in the morgue- I know what can kill you but survivable stuff is iffy (tried to get out of the morgue, only lasted one shift in the ER- I was so traumatized I begged to go back to the morgue). Also not sure if first responders/EMTs exist in this world but they were necessary so they exist here. Thank you cowseatgrass for the picture idea.

"Why do people keep on trying to put this blanket on me?" Cana asked petulantly, fending off another person trying to put the grey wool around her shoulders.

"Because you're in shock." The patient first responder replied, once again trying to put it on the struggling girl.

"That doesn't mean I need a blanket. It means I need booze."

"Say's the girl whose bone is sticking out through her skin." The man shot back snarkily.

Cana blinked before looking down at her left leg- huh. The bone really was ripping through her skin, how about that? Funny, would have thought she would've felt that. "Still don't need a blanket." She retorted childishly but allowed it to be wrapped around her as she was lifted into the magic mobile that was functioning as a makeshift ambulance.

She'd taken a job in the middle of nowhere fighting off giant monsters to save a small town. Sounded simple enough, pay was nice, so she'd grabbed it. Turns out what the townspeople failed to mention was that the giant monsters were being controlled by a dark guild with a weird bondage theme and that the monsters were essentially stone Vulcans that had laser beam eyes. All of that would have been nice to know.

Still she'd taken out all twenty-five monsters and the dark guild, but when defeating the last of them, she'd been grabbed by the ankle and flung just as she made the finishing blow. Wound up landing on a bunch of rocks which lead to her current predicament.

"I've got a communication lacrima in my bag- can somebody call my Master?" She asked blandly, starting to feel a little woozy. "Hospital fees better not come out of my pay." She had _plans_ for that money!

One of the guys gave her a pat on the head, and she resisted the urge to bite his hand off- what was she, a dog? "Don't worry- you did all of us a huge favor. Hospital bills are on us. We'll get somebody to call your Master once we get back to town."

"Okay." She nodded calmly, before deciding to try her luck," So about that booze- "

"No way."

"Oh, come on!"

"Your bone is sticking out through your skin and you're in shock- I'm not throwing alcohol into this mess. If your doctor says its okay- which he won't- I'll personally get you whiskey: how's that sound?"

Well, somebody was certainly sassy. The brunette pouted before nodding glumly, that was probably the best she was going to get. Oh, well- actually right now a nap sounded good…

And so, the card mage lost consciousness on the way to the hospital.

oOOOOo

Gildarts wasn't particularly put out by being sent to pick up Cana- she was a sweet kid and he'd do the same for any of his guildmates who were bashed up that badly if he was in the area.

He was constantly on the emergency lacrima, radioing the details of her condition every time the doctors gave him an update on her. Apparently she had an open compound fracture of her left tibia and had a resulting hemorrhage at the wound site- which a kind nurse helpfully translated as 'she broke her leg, the bone ripped through the skin and she was bleeding a lot, but we fixed it'.

Poor Cana needed a lot of stitches and surgery to fix her leg, but she was going to be alright eventually- just had to stay off the leg for a while.

Master had been pretty sympathetic and apparently this meant Cana was going to have to give up her part in her dance recital this year (turned out she'd been dancing for years- who knew?). But the red-haired man knew he was just trying to distract himself from the surprise he'd gotten.

He'd arrived at the town, grabbed her Jewels with little fanfare, but when he'd gotten to the hospital… when he'd gotten to the hospital he'd asked for Cana Alberona at the front desk, only to be told they didn't have a patient by that name, they did, however, have a _Rebecca_ Alberona.

Rebecca Alberona.

Cana's real name was Rebecca Alberona.

What the hell were the chances of something like this happening? He tried to play it off at first- 'Rebecca' was far from an uncommon name and he was sure 'Alberona' was too, but… together?

Now all he could think about was Conny and the 'might have beens'. That wasn't fair to poor Cana, he should be focused on making sure that she got home safely where she could recover- not spending all his time thinking about baby girls that didn't exist.

"Mr. Clive?"

The Ace looked up to meet the gaze of a mousy-haired nurse, "Yeah?" He asked, standing up.

She smiled at him," Miss Alberona is out of surgery and should be waking up in a little while, if you could follow me, I'll take you to her."

The crash mage smiled," Sounds great!" The sooner Cana was up, the sooner he could get her home, and the sooner he could drink the memories away.

She looked a hell of a lot smaller than the fifteen-year-old firecracker he knew. Hospital beds always had a way of doing that. Her busted leg was elevated, and they'd fitted her with a bright purple cast (he'd have to ask if he could sign that later- what? It was tradition!).

"I have to go check in on another patient- you okay waiting by yourself?" The nurse asked him.

"Don't worry- I'm more than capable of staying put." He said with a slight grin, pleased that he got a giggle out of the woman- hey, he had a reputation to defend!

Idly he looked around the sterile white room for something to distract his bored mind when he noticed her chart hung at the foot of the bed. He picked it up and flipped it open. And froze.

This… this had to be some kind of freaky coincidence.

Rebecca _Arcana_ Alberona.

Cana's full legal name was Rebecca Arcana Alberona.

What… what were the chances? This- this had to be some freaky one-in-a-million thing, right? That a girl would wind up with the names that he and the love of his life had picked out for their hypothetical offspring (not in the right order though- that was something.).

A freaky coincidence. That's all this was- a freaky coincidence.

oOOOOo

"Put me down! I have crutches dammit!"

"Your doctor said you need to rest as much as possible- I don't count using crutches as resting when I'm perfectly able to carry you." Gildarts retorted down at the irate brunette in his arms (she looked so much like Conny like thi- stop it! He was seeing things that weren't there!).

The card mage futilely tried to get down from the Ace's hold as he approached the front doors of Fairy Hills. They'd been having this argument for hours now, ever since they gotten off the train.

He rapped on the door hard and was rewarded when it opened with Erza Scarlet staring bemused at the site of them.

"Welcome back Cana." The armored wizard said fondly toward the other girl," Master told us about your injury."

Cana frustratedly blew her hair out of face," Yeah it sucks." She said dryly, before once again pushing at the Ace's chest," You can let me down now Gildarts- no men allowed."

Erza raised an eyebrow before pointing out," Your room is on the second floor Cana."

The violet-eyed girl blinked," Yeah, and?"

"Sending a girl up the stairs on crutches is not conducive to her recovery," The scarlet haired girl said primly," I think we can make an exception to the rule just this once."

Gildarts smiled at the same moment as Cana's jaw dropped.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Well come on, don't want to stand in the doorway all day." He chirped happily, letting Erza key him into the wards, easily ignoring Cana's protests.

He was probably the first man to set foot in Fairy Hills in years- and honestly it was a little underwhelming. He'd kind of been expecting a lay out like a teenage girl's slumber party, instead he got a normal apartment building.

Trying not to pout, he carried the injured girl up the flight of stairs to her room and easily set her down on her bed.

"Where do you want your Jewels," He asked, eyes roaming around the small room for a place to drop the sack.

"Just drop it by my bookshelf please Gildarts," The card mage requested as she adjusted herself on her bed.

The red-haired man obediently dropped it and was about to leave when his eye caught a picture frame on a shelf, and he froze. It was Conny- his Conny.

It was a picture of his Conny holding a smiling baby.

"C-Cana who's this?" He asked shakily, gesturing to the frame (this couldn't be real- this couldn't be happening).

The card mage looked puzzled until she spotted the frame, then she stilled.

"That's my mom and me." She answered hesitantly.

"Oh." He said dumbly," J-just out of curiosity do you know what your Mom's name was?" He asked, his voice going up several octaves on the last word.

The brunette stared at him for a moment before she responded," … Her name was Cornelia, why?"

Ice flooded through his veins," Oh- she just looks a lot like someone I used to know is all." He said, lying badly even to his own ears, before giving a wide (fake) smile. "Well I've got to get going- hope you feel better soon kid." He gave her head a pat, narrowly avoiding a swat from the girl as he exited her room.

He walked out of Fairy Hills on autopilot- he was definitely in shock. Well, only one way to fix that: booze.

oOOOOo

Gildarts had a high alcohol tolerance- both naturally and earned from a lifetime of liver abuse, but from the way he was feeling right now he was probably reaching the ceiling of his limits.

Still he continued to drink (good thing booze at the guild was so cheap- he'd spend the rest of his life in debt if it wasn't), trying to come to terms with the reality he was now faced with.

He had a daughter.

He had a beautiful daughter with the love of his life, and she had been right in front of him for years. _Years_. And he'd never realized this.

Why had Conny named her Rebecca?

They had split on such horrible terms, why had she given their daughter the name he had picked out? The name she had hated so much. He'd never be able to ask her.

Because Conny was dead and if he was doing the math right then she would have died when Cana was six- how the hell had she wound up at Fairy Tail? He remembered that wide-eyed little girl, one of the cutest things he had ever seen (or maybe that was his own bias clouding his memory), she had been so tiny. How had she gotten from wherever Conny had raised her to Magnolia?

Well, he'd just have to ask her later. Maybe if he got down on his knees and begged she'd let him into her life.

"Gildarts… is everything okay?" Someone asked hesitantly (Macao- that was Macao).

"Peachy- why do you ask?" He said tightly, wanting to go back to drowning out the entire world.

"…You don't usually day drink like this- you sure everything's okay?" Wakaba, that one was Wakaba.

In another life maybe he wouldn't have answered, would have continued drinking and then stumbled to Fairy Hills, begged until they let him in and hugged the life out of his little girl- would have kept promising to be a good father if she gave him a chance. But in this lifetime…

"Cana's my daughter."

"…HUH?!"

Oh, guess he'd said that louder than he'd meant to.

"Cana's my daughter." The crash mage repeated once again, slightly taken aback by how quickly he was surrounded by his guildmates- their questions becoming gibberish as they all talked over each other.

"QUIET!" Oh, thanks Master. "Gildarts- please explain."

And so, he did. He told them about picking her up at the hospital and seeing her full name (at least he apparently wasn't the only person who didn't know about that), and then earlier the picture of her mother- how Cornelia had been the love of his life and had wound up leaving him. By the time he finished everyone sat around him in stunned silence.

"Gildarts…" Even Makarov was at a loss for words, staring at the Ace who was trying to drown himself in alcohol. "Gildarts… first thing you're going to do is sober up and then you're going to tell Cana the truth."

"How?" The crash mage asked desperately- how did he tell a girl that he had barely spoken to that he was her father?

"…We'll figure something out, just- just go rest for a little while, alright?"

"Okay." He said shakily, getting to his feet with the gait of a royally wasted man and mechanically walked home to process the insane day he'd had.

oOOOOo

Now it has been said that few things travel faster than gossip in a small town, but the same could be said for wizard's guilds. Within an hour everybody in the guild both inside and out of town knew about the bombshell Gildarts had dropped.

And, naturally, Cana's newfound parentage was the hot topic of conversation among everybody.

"- can't believe it- Cana?"

"Damn- says a lot about her power levels if you think about it, she's the same age as Erza and Mira but she hit S-class worthy a year before they did- "

"-imagine what she'll be capable of if he trains her- "

"Do you think she'll move in with him? I mean they should be a proper family- "

Among all the gossip and debate that enthralled the guild, one thing was made absolutely clear- the only person who should tell her any of this was Gildarts, meaning they had to keep their mouths shut around her until then.

But… it was so hard to keep quiet about something _this_ huge…

oOOOOo

Something was going on. She'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to realize it.

Every time she passed by someone in the hall they would stop and seem to vibrate in place for a moment before quickly running off. Whenever anyone heard the tell-tale sound of her crutches, they all immediately stopped talking and stared at her like deer caught in head lights.

Then were the awkward conversations.

Levy who came to her room to check up on her, _casually_ making conversation.

"Soooo, I don't think I've ever asked Cana- what was your life like before Fairy Tail?"

The injured brunette had stared at her in bewilderment before deciding to answer," Well, I was raised by my mom in a little town called Sugarhill a couple days away from here. It was a nice place, always had fresh cookies at home, and I had a puppy named Lila. Mom died when I was about six and I wound up having to give Lila away when I joined the guild."

Levy bounced on her knees, not looking her in the eye as she continued her questioning," Oh that's so sad- but what about your dad?"

Cana blinked," Um- Mom never really talked about him, why?"

"Oh, no reason." The bluenette squeaked, looking like she desperately wanted to say something, before suddenly bolting out the door without warning.

There had been other conversations just like that and no matter what she did nobody would tell her what was going on- they were all just playing dumb.

Which lead to her grabbing her crutches and slowly making her way to the guild, even if she couldn't get anyone to fess up, she'd been going stir crazy trapped inside all day.

As soon as she stepped into the guildhall all the chatter died, every single person turning to stare at her with wide eyes- like she had spontaneously grown an extra head.

"What?" She snapped irritably, and everyone quickly averted their stares, futilely trying to pretend nothing was wrong.

Just as she was getting herself settled at a table near the bar, a loud yell broke through the awkward silence.

"CANA FIGHT ME!" Natsu roared, fists on fire as he lunged toward the startled girl.

Cana was forced to throw herself onto the floor, narrowly avoiding Natsu who hit the table with an almighty crash.

"What the hell Natsu!" She yelled furiously from her position on the floor, with multiple of her worried guildmates trying to help her back to her feet (so to speak). "I'm fucking injured you jackass! You could've killed me!"

The pink haired boy huffed from his place among the shattered wood of the table," I just wanted to fight you."

Confused the card mage incredulously asked," Why the hell would you want to fight me?"

"I figured since Gildarts is your dad you gotta be strong like him." He said petulantly, crossing his arms like a pouting child, but Cana wasn't paying attention anymore.

Had- had Natsu just said-?

"YOU IDIOT!" Gray yelled, punching the dragon slayer in the head," Why'd you tell her?! Gildarts was supposed to be the one- "

"How the fucking hell do you know about that?" Cana demanded furiously, getting a round of confused stares from the entirety of the guild.

"…Know about what?" Gray asked in confusion.

"That Gildarts is my dad."

Everyone was openly staring at her again, but this time with slack jaws and looks of utter shock painted across their faces.

"…You knew?" A familiar voice quietly asked, the brunette froze before slowly turning to face her shocked and dismayed father.

oOOOOo

A few minutes later the two were sitting across from each other in Makarov's office. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Cana decided to be the one to break the silence," The reason I joined the guild was to find you," she quietly admitted," Before she died Mama told me who you were and how to find you, I don't know what she expected- I think she expected me to wait until my teens before trying to get to Magnolia."

"How," Gildarts stopped to swallow for a moment," How _did_ you get to Magnolia? Its just- you were so little…"

The card mage just shrugged," I walked." She said nonchalantly.

"…You walked."

"Yup."

"… Cana Sugarhill is almost two hundred miles away- "

The brunette shrugged again," I know. It took a while, but I obviously made it in one piece."

The red-haired man just gaped at her. Six years old. At six years old she walked two hundred miles to try and find him and she was treating it like it was _no big deal?!_

He wet his lips again," … why didn't you tell me Cana?"

The violet eyed girl stiffened before softly answering," I tried. I tried the day I arrived, I tried the day you got back that first time, every time you were at the guild I tried to tell you, but things just kept getting in the way. Then, then at some point I was just too afraid of rejection to tell you."

Gildarts just stared at his daughter, tears beginning to fill his eyes- all these years, all these years she had been trying to tell him who she really was. How different could things have been?

"I'm so sorry Cana."

She looked at him with a half-smile on her face," Don't worry I don't expect anything from you Gildarts. Things can stay like they are, but if you don't mind, I'll say it just this once, I'm glad I met you Dad."

He couldn't speak, he just stared at the beautiful girl right across from him. Then he finally gave into impulse. He quickly snatched her out of her seat and pulled her into his lap, crushing her against his chest. "Baby everything's different now." He sobbed," I'm never going to make you feel sad again! We're always going to be together- I don't care if its in a bar or on a job, just- please just give me the chance to be your father!"

Cana swallowed, tears of her own starting to fall, even with the smile on her face," I'm more than okay with that Dad."

They stayed like that for a while, Gildarts holding her like she was made from glass and Cana content in her father's arms eventually being lulled to sleep by the steady sound of his heartbeat. Talk about a good start as a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The opening is a prompt that I found on pintrest and immediately thought 'Cana, Cana would say this'. The town 'Sugarhill' was just invented because them saying 'the town I/you were raised in' just sounded bad to me. The name doesn't have any particular meaning and since we still know nothing about Cana's life pre-guild I figured why not invent one. The walked thing is also something that I put in- ever since her back story was revealed I've been wondering how a six-year-old managed to get to Magnolia with no adult and thought her just being totally nonchalant about walking some incredible distance was amusing. The puppy's name I got from some other fic that I don't remember the name of (I've been looking- when I find it I'll put it in to give credit to the author).
> 
> The bit about her being S-class level before Erza and Mira is canon as far as I can tell- though that may have been a misunderstanding on my part. You may be wondering about why Cana wasn't more suspicious of everyone's behavior combined with Gildarts' reaction... I would say that she was given painkillers for the broken leg that made her a little off, but the truth is I didn't notice the plot hole until heavy editing. By that point I just decided to leave it. Also him knowing that she came from Sugarhill... yeah I just figured that he would assume she grew up in the town her mother was buried in.
> 
> And to all those still reading at this point: thank you everybody. I never imagined that I could write this many stories and keep this going for this long. Thank you so much for all the support and I hope you keep enjoying this.


	33. The Puppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Cana gains a fluffy partner in crime much to her father's horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Extreme fluff ahead and description of a child pulling a disappearing act (if you have kids then you'll understand why I listed this. I may not have any of my own but I have a lot of little siblings)
> 
> This follows Blessed Man

It was a beautiful day for a festival.

Gildarts was watching his little girl get more and more excited, her little head on a constant swivel as she tried to look at everything at the same time. The bright colors, the decorations, the food, and the small petting zoo that had been brought out for this special occasion.

Taking her had been a good idea.

He carefully set his tiny princess down when she started to struggle in his arms, smiling as she immediately ran over and started petting a lamb that was only a bit bigger than her.

Where was a camera when you needed one? A moment that sweet deserved pictures to commemorate.

It was a nice father-daughter day out, Conny had been so tired lately now that they were starting to ween Cana (the little princess wasn't too happy about it) and he felt she deserved a day to herself. He could handle their toddler alone for a couple hours while she slept.

The petting zoo was definitely Cana's favorite. The little girl was squealing over the miniature horses and the friendly goats, and he had to almost pry the rabbit she had been petting out of her hands. It was only his promise that they could come back after lunch that stopped the tantrum.

There were plenty of food booths to pick from and he had wound up carrying her to each and asking her what she wanted; which was how his daughter's lunch wound up consisting of lemonade, the cheesiest fries he had ever seen, chicken nuggets, and a chocolate sundae for dessert (his wife was going to kill him).

Then he made a horrible mistake- he took his eyes off his daughter to go throw away their trash. In the span of the three seconds he had his eyes off of her she had disappeared.

Shit.

oOOOOo

Ten minutes.

It had taken him ten whole minutes to find her.

Ten minutes in which he had run around screaming her name and grabbing random strangers and begging them to know if they had seen her. Ten whole minutes where he felt like his world was crumbling around him as he desperately looked for his precious little girl, half certain that he would never see her again. Then a light bulb went off in his head.

Petting zoo.

He had told her that they could go back to the petting zoo after lunch and they had just finished lunch when she disappeared.

Upon arriving in the area filled with small children and fluffy animals, he didn't see her at first and the terror was growing steadily- then he spotted her.

He found his little girl sleeping in a basket surrounded by little furry bodies.

Gildarts didn't even stop to figure out what they were, he just dropped to his knees, pulled his now groggy baby out of the basket and held her as tightly to him as he dared. She was okay, she was safe. He had her now. Everything was fine.

"Daddy?" She asked in puzzlement, not quite sure how she had gone from nap time to Daddy acting weird.

He just kissed her forehead, before setting her down and making her look him in the eyes," Cana don't run away- do you know how badly you scared Daddy? Don't ever go anywhere without telling me- anything could have happened- "He cut himself off and just pulled his baby back into his arms with a shuddering breath. Trying to explain what she did wrong wasn't going to do much. A fifteen-month-old was way too young to understand why what she had done was wrong. Still it was worth trying to explain it to her and investing in one of those backpack leashes sounded like a very smart investment.

Cana had already stopped paying attention to him, struggling to get out of his arms and back to the basket. It was only then Gildarts decided to take a look at the basket his daughter had decided was a good nap spot. And spotted the sign tied to the handle, with a dawning sense of horror he read two of the most terrifying words a parent of a small child could read.

Free Puppies

oOOOOo

"So- are we going to discuss how a day out at the festival ended with you two getting a dog?" Cornelia asked quirking a brow at her sheepish husband.

"Well… she was very persuasive- "

"Gildarts she can only speak in six-word sentences."

The crash mage rubbed the back of his head with his hand as he watched his baby cuddle with the small bundle of white fluff she had picked out. He had tried to get Cana away from the evil basket with every trick he could think of- bribery, distraction, outright picking her up (that ended in a screaming fit), but every single time Cana went back to the basket of her fluffy new friends.

"…I'm weak to our daughter's tears?" He offered getting a snort from his wife.

"I already knew that. Gildarts she isn't even two yet- "

"Then you take it away from her." He retorted. He had fallen victim to a double puppy-eyes plea. Which was more than a little terrifying- he was already weak to one set of puppy eyes, now he had to deal with two?

Cornelia rolled her eyes before giving in to the madness," You're in charge of walking it Gildarts."

"Are you referring to the dog or our daughter?" He said with a grin, accepted the exasperated swat from his wife.

His daughter now had a partner in crime that was just as good at the puppy-eye guilt trip as she was. He was going to regret this very soon, but he was smiling anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was writing a different chapter when this came to me and I had a blast getting it down! I just had this scene of a tearful sniffle and a 'please daddy' as both the girl and the dog gave him the dreaded eyes- Gildarts being weak to puppy eyes isn't even a question. He will melt and usually give in to whatever his little princess asks for if she gives him that look, unless it is for a piercing, then it doesn't work so good (that chapter is coming out soon). I also would like to take this time to remember my conquered enemy: I HAVE DEFEATED YOU EXAMS! MWAHAHAHA! YOU DID YOUR BEST TO BREAK ME DOWN BUT I HAVE EMERGED THE VICTOR! Okay I'm done.
> 
> Tell me what you think!


	34. Dosed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was just out having some fun and some jackass tries to date rape her. Figures her drug-induced hallucination would be her dad coming to save her in her hour of need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: attempted sexual assault by drugs (don't worry he gets what's coming to him), some description of her being on drugs, and swearing.
> 
> This was something that was initially in my 'discarded' pile (which is about four times the amount of my posted chapters) but I figured out a way to rework it and got this. I took a few liberties with symptoms and how cognizant and coherent she is. Also as you might have been able to tell by this point- I'm not that good at writing cursing.

"You mother-fucking sonuva- "

SLAP!

"-slimy little rat-fucking- "

BANG!

"- try to fucking _dose_ a girl- "

SLAM!

"- should shove a goddamn cactus up your- "

BAM!

Suddenly the room was spinning, and Cana half collapsed against the wall of the bar. There she was minding her own business, having a good time, when some pathetic bastard tried to fucking date rape her. How he'd gotten it in her glass she had no idea, but years of drinking lead to her being very aware when the alcohol was spiked.

She had then gotten up and taken it upon herself to beat the ever-living shit out the little weasel- hopefully that would teach him a lesson.

Now she was starting to feel it kick in. She had maybe one sip before she figured out what the slimy little bastard had done, so the effects were not as bad as they potentially could have been, but certainly not good either.

Since the beating had lasted maybe ten minutes, she was leaning towards GHB- if this had been roofies or Ketamine she wouldn't have started feeling it until about twenty minutes to half an hour. She had to get to a hospital- preferably soon as Cana would prefer not having seizures, falling into a coma, or dying (that last would be particularly unpleasant).

Unsteady she stumbled out of the bar, barely hearing the concerned calls after her- she'd just been dosed, no way was she going to trust anyone in there. Hospital was maybe a twenty-minute walk- really not good, but since she hadn't taken much it might be feasible. Or she might pass out in the street. Either way she didn't really have another option.

As she stumbled again, feeling like the street was rolling around under her feet, she heard a familiar voice call out in concern.

"Cana? Are- are you okay?"

What was Gildarts doing here? Wasn't he in the guildhall telling war stories? Oh wait- one of the side effects of GHB was hallucinations. Figures that when in distress her brain created a fantasy of her daddy coming to save her. Oh well, might as well go along with it- might be the only father-daughter time she'd ever get.

"Some- some- "She stumbled over her words, suddenly finding stringing a sentence together difficult, but was finally able to get out," Got dosed- need a hospital."

The look of alarm and outrage on her father's face was strangely comforting- he cared enough about her to be mad that someone had tried to take advantage of her.

"Shit- okay come on." Suddenly she was off her feet and in a bridal carry. Strange. She didn't know hallucinations could do that. "Let's get you to a hospital- then I'll go beat the crap out of whoever did this to you."

"Already did that." She chirped happily (wow she had a great view up here- he was so damn tall). Pleased with herself when he gave her a grin.

"Good girl." He praised.

Cana puffed up like a peacock at his approval- hey, she might as well enjoy the hallucination since she couldn't do anything about it. She snuggled into his chest, more than willing to take the body heat since she'd left her jacket at the bar.

"You're really warm."

She felt his chest vibrate with the force of his deep laugh," Thank you, I suppose." He said quirking an eyebrow down at her," Don't worry kid- the docs will get you fixed up just fine."

The brunette nodded before piping up with a thought that was bouncing around her head," I like this."

"Like what?" The figment of her imagination asked curiously.

"You acting like a dad, 'course you are my dad so it doesn't count, but still."

For a moment the stopped moving and she felt his chest tense up in surprise," What- what do you mean by that Cana?

"You're my dad." He was her hallucination so why didn't he already know this? Eh, hallucinations weren't supposed to make sense. "Didn't think you'd believe me so never said."

Was it just her or were they moving faster than they had been before?

"Okay, you must be really out of it to be talking like that." The red headed man said in a false calm to Cana's puzzlement.

"I'm out of it." She agreed," But I'm pretty sure Mama put you on my birth certificate so there's that." Suddenly lights seemed way more sparkly than before. "Pretty!" The drugged girl cooed as she reached out to try and grab it, before woozily collapsing against the older man's chest.

Must be hitting the half-hour mark. Because things were getting really fuzzy all of a sudden…

Her last coherent thought before she lost consciousness was that she wouldn't mind if the hallucination kept on a little longer- she felt safe and warm in her father's arms. It really was a nice feeling.

oOOOOo

Gildarts wasn't sure what to think.

When he'd decided to take a different route than usual the last thing he'd expected was to see the card mage stumbling down the road. Hearing she'd been dosed made him furious- what the fuck was wrong with some people? Can't get laid so they go drug a girl?

Poor Cana was definitely out of it, least he could do for her was get her to a hospital safely- but… how much of what she said was from the drugs?

She said he was her dad. That she had never told him about it and that he was probably on her birth certificate- how… how could drugs create something like that?

As soon as he'd gotten to the hospital and handed the unconscious girl over, he'd called Master Makarov. The hospital had a personal lacrima that could contact him just in case anybody got hurt, whether it was by idiots fighting or drunkenly falling downstairs.

He'd explained what had happened and what she had said- Master had to do paperwork for her stay anyway (something about emergency contacts and health insurance), the older man would grab her file on the way there. If there wasn't anything in there then it was probably just the drugs talking, if there was… he had no idea what the fuck would happen if there was.

At least she was going to be okay- nurse told him the drug should be out of her system in a few hours and that they were going to make sure any side effects were handled.

The waiting room for the hospital was quiet, the odd person coming in or out as visiting hours ended, but every time the door opened, he found himself looking up. Finally, almost an hour after calling, Makarov finally showed up, a troubled look on his face and a manila folder under his arm.

As the crash mage opened his mouth to greet the older man, something about the look on his face made anything he might have said die in his throat. Master- the old man wouldn't be looking at him like that unless-

"It wasn't the drugs, was it?"

The miniature guildmaster silently shook his head before hesitantly holding out the folder," I- Gildarts… I think you need to see this."

The Ace took the file with some trepidation (he had a _daughter_ ) and flipped it open. The first paper on top was a birth certificate and time froze as he failed to process the writing on the page.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona.

Father: Gildarts Clive.

Mother: Cornelia Alberona.

Conny. Conny was the mother of his daughter. The love of his life had his baby and never told him. That baby had eventually joined the same guild as her father, had become a powerful mage, and a wonderful young woman, all without him. He hadn't been involved in her life at all despite being so close to her.

Then he hit the floor with a loud thud.

'Oh,' he thought as he dispassionately gazed at the cubes that had once been a chair,' Must have lost control again.'

What was he supposed to do now?

oOOOOo

It felt like her eyes were glued shut.

Cana was in that uncomfortable state between being asleep and awake- where she didn't particularly want to wake up, but she probably wasn't going to fall back to sleep either. Her limbs felt like they were made of cast iron and the air had an unpleasant smell of antiseptic.

Slowly as the memories of what had happened the night before came back to her- the pathetic little asshole, the well-deserved beating, her trying to get to the hospital, and then her hallucination- she must have passed out in the street and someone managed to get her help. That was the only thing that made sense, because if she had been hallucinating like that there was no way she'd managed to get herself here.

The brunette managed to force her eyes open, only to immediately regret it.

"Motherfucker- "She cursed at the pain from the sudden influx of light on her hungover brain.

"Oh, you're awake!" A kindly woman said relieved.

Once again, the card mage cracked her eyes open, squinting against the bright lights of the sterile room, to look at the purple-haired nurse by her bed.

"We were worried about you for a while- your heartrate slowed considerably, but it looks like you're going to pull through."

"…yay." Cana said unenthusiastically.

The nurse winced a bit, before seemingly shaking her attitude off," Do you have any questions Miss Alberona?"

The violet-eyed girl thought for a moment, before asking," … What the fuck did he give me?"

The purple-haired nurse patted her hand in what was probably meant to be a comforting manner," Your assailant dosed you a combination of GHB and Ketamine dearie."

Huh- well at least she was half right on the drug at least. Talk about a nasty combo.

"We have you on a saline drip and a few potions that should have all the toxins out of your system in a few hours. You'll probably be discharged this afternoon, but we may decide to keep you overnight for observation."

Yeah that was pretty reasonable. Still one more question to ask.

"How the fuck did I get here?"

The nurse pursed her lips in disapproval at her choice of language, but decided to answer," Gildarts found you in distress and brought you in."

Wait what?

At that revelation Cana almost shot into a sitting position, only to grip her head in agony at the pain the sudden action caused. The nurse let out a squawk and tried to force her back down.

That had- she hadn't been hallucinating?!

Shit.

She had told her father who she was to him because she thought he was a drug-induced hallucination. This was… maybe he didn't believe her? She thought hopefully. Maybe he chalked everything up to the drugs and decided to treat it like it hadn't happened? She'd be okay with that- she'd be more than okay with that.

It was selfish but she wanted to tell him the truth on her terms- blurting it out while dosed on GHB and Ketamine were so far from her ideal situation it wasn't even funny.

"-he's actually been in the waiting room all night! He was so worried about you- "

He was what?

As the brunette sat in a state of shock as she tried to process the apparent collapse of her world as the cheery nurse continued on obliviously.

"I suppose I'll go let him know that you're alright then dearie." The woman was out the door before Cana could say anything.

Maybe it was a few minutes, maybe it was a few hours, but when Gildarts poked his head through the door of her hospital room… the card mage couldn't put her finger on what tipped her off- might have been the look in his eyes or his overall nervous energy, but she knew that he hadn't just ignored her babble.

The Ace of Fairy Tail awkwardly sat in the chair next to her bed, looking comically large in the small room. The tension in the room was palpable. He swallowed nervously, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly for a moment before finally speaking," Well… it turns out that she _did_ put me on your birth certificate."

"You find out you have a kid and that's all you have to say?" Cana blurted out incredulously, get a wince from her father.

"Sorry… its just- I have no idea what I should be saying right now." He admitted.

Cana wet her lips," Thank you for helping me last night." She said softly.

"Oh- it uh- it was no problem. I'm glad I was there when you needed me."

And once again awkward silence reigned supreme. What a pair they were.

"Cana I- did you know that I'm the one who picked out the name 'Rebecca'?"

The brunette blinked," No, no I didn't know that."

He smiled slightly," Your mom- she absolutely hated it. When we split I- I tried to drown myself in my work." He snorted," Hell. I did that before the split. I didn't know about you- I've missed everything in your life…"

Cana interrupted," It's okay Gildarts." She said sincerely," I never held anything against you. And you don't need to worry- nothing needs to change. Things can stay just like they are, but… damn this is just a huge weight lifted off my chest." She said with a watery laugh, tears beginning to fill her eyes," I'm glad that I met you, I really am."

For a moment Gildarts just stared at her, tears of his own beginning to run down his face, then he was leaning forward and pulling her into a hug. "Cana- I don't know much about being a dad, but… if you'll let me, I'll do the best I can. I'll cheer you on during drinking contests and on jobs, I'll get you cake on your birthday, I'll brag to everyone I can find about how amazing my beautiful daughter is. Cana- if you let me, I'll be the most loving father anyone's ever seen, but only if it's okay with you."

The brunette leaned her head against her father's chest, relaxing in his hold," That's alright with me, Dad."

They stayed together for a while, before Gildarts carefully pulled away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back in a little while sweetheart- I need to go talk to your doctor about what I need to do to take care of you once you're discharged."

Cana gave him a little smirk as she pointed out," You don't have to take care of me."

Gildarts shook his head smiling at her," I'm your father- taking care of you when you need me is my _right_."

A few days later a man was dropped off unceremoniously at the local police headquarters, beaten within an inch of his life, a note pinned to his shirt reading 'I tried to date-rape a girl: please punish me'.

Meanwhile, Cana and Gildarts conveniently decided to go out on their first father-daughter mission together; strangely just hours after the man had been dropped off. Everybody decided to look the other way just this once; after all, it wasn't like the man hadn't deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something that I see pretty frequently is Cana being a full consent Queen (which I feel like is totally on character) and I figured her knowing details on date rape drugs was right up her ally. I also wanted to have her beat the crap out of the guy rather than having Gildarts save her- she's a strong woman who can take care of herself.
> 
> GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) is the fastest acting of the most common drugs- with effects kicking in around fifteen minutes and lasting between three and six hours; effects include sleepiness, memory lapses, seizures, slow heartrate, slow breathing, coma, and death- hallucinations aren't common enough to be listed every time, but they aren't unheard of. Ketamine is more commonly used for vet medicine (also called horse tranquilizers) and can make you feel, dizzy, nauseous, and forgetful; side effects include vomiting, high blood pressure, changes in heart rate, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death. Ketamine usually takes around half an hour to kick in, and effects usually last between one to two hours, but sometimes can last twenty four hours (longest I have ever personally heard of was thirty-six hours but there were other factors in that one). Rohypnol, more commonly known as roofies is the most common (at least in my area). Roofies cause amnesia, muscle relaxation, and knocks you out, typically it kicks in at about a half an hour and peaks at two hours- effects last for up to twelve hours; as little as one milligram is enough to do the job.
> 
> Felt like if I didn't dole out a little information, I wouldn't be doing my job right. If you think you have been dosed go to a hospital to get tested and call whatever National Sexual Assault hotline is relevant for you. The US number is 1-800-656-4673 and is available 24/7.


	35. Earrings and Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana tags along when Laxus goes to get his first tattoo and winds up getting one of her own in addition to a pair of ear piercings. Gildarts doesn't take it that well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These don't match my opinions on ear piercing or tattoos, I just wanted to play around with this concept and how an overprotective dad might react to her making-to him- some drastic changes to her body, one of which he had already specifically told her she couldn't get.

"So, are you going to tell me the real reason you wanted to come with me?" Laxus asked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette.

Cana pouted up at him," Can't I just want to come along for moral support?"

He snorted," Pull the other one."

"… I want to mock you if you act like a wuss?"

"Not buying it short stuff."

At the lightning users unimpressed stare Cana decided to come clean," This place also does piercings- I've been wanting to get my ears pierced for a while, but Dad said no and I need a legal adult."

The blonde snorted again, so he was just an excuse that doubled as a scapegoat. "As long as Gildarts doesn't take it out of my hide I don't care what body part you put holes in."

That said the two continued the walk in silence until they came to the tattoo shop where Laxus had booked an appointment.

The front desk was being manned by a bored looking green haired girl with tattoos covering every visible part of her body except for her face. The girl looked up at them, loudly snapping her gum, before asking," Appointment or walk-in?"

"Appointment for me, walk-in piercing for her." Laxus answered.

The girl nodded and then yelled," LOU YOUR ELEVEN IS HERE! LACEY, WE GOT A WALK IN FOR YOU!"

Must be a slow day if she immediately knew who Laxus was here to see without asking his name.

In response to the yell, two people came out from the back of the shop. A surprisingly normal-looking girl, whose blue hair had an intricate design shaved in and a girl with pink hair, with metal bars and studs in every orifice of her face.

The bluenette stepped forward and offered her hand to Laxus," Hi! I'm Lou, and I'll be your artist today. Follow me and we can get started."

As Laxus followed her back he heard the pink-haired girl say," Judging by the looks of you, you're here to make your parents mad- you've come to the right place sweetie."

Maybe letting her come wasn't such a good idea after all…

oOOOOo

The tattooing itself hurt but wasn't nearly as bad as a lot of people had made it sound. Then again, he _did_ have a pretty high pain tolerance…

His artist was chattering nonstop as she worked on the massive outline of the tribal piece he'd picked. "- don't worry about the girl. Lacey won't let things get too out of hand."

He snorted. "As long as I'm not the one her dad blames I really don't care. Cana's old enough to to decide if she wants earrings- not like I could have talked her out of it even if I tried."

As if on cue, Cana bounced out of the separate room the shop reserved for piercings, a beaming smile on her face.

"How do they look?" She asked happily, showing off the small silver stud in each earlobe.

"They look great." He said honestly, smiling at his surrogate cousin who seemed to be radiating joy. "Tell you what- I'll pay for them. Call it an early birthday present."

Cana's purple eyes widened in surprise," Really?"

"Really." He repeated.

"Actually- if you wouldn't mind being a guinea pig sweetie, we might be able to give you those for free." His artist interjected, stopping tattooing to face Cana. "Lacey is my apprentice and she's not quite ready to actually tattoo someone, but would you be opposed to letting her freehand something on you? It would be a temporary piece of course."

The brunette blinked in surprise, pondering the offer for a moment, looking at Laxus in a silent ask for permission.

The blonde just looked at her and shrugged," It's your body- I can't tell you what to do with it."

Cana mulled that over for a minute, before nodding," If it's just temporary, I'd be totally fine with that."

So, while Laxus spent the next five hours continuously getting stabbed with a needle, Cana sat right next to him getting an intricate ballerina drawn onto her right arm.

Lacey may not be ready to actually tattoo anything, but she was certainly an incredible artist.

The only thing Laxus was worried about was that the two of them got along like a house on fire- he may have just helped create an unholy duo. He was pretty sure the brunette would be hanging around the shop a lot from now on.

But when everything was said and done, both of them had great works of art and Laxus couldn't complain about not having to pay for Cana's earrings.

"-this is so cool! It just looks so real!" Now if only he could get Cana to stop talking about tattoos and how cool Lacey was.

oOOOOo

It hadn't been that interesting of a day for Gildarts. He had just gone over some S-class paperwork with Master, reviewed upcoming jobs, and had his fill of alcohol.

His darling little princess had taken a short job that morning- reading an old lady's fortune across town. As much as he hated the idea of his little princess taking jobs at all, he had to respect that she was growing up and needed some freedom in order to do so.

That didn't mean he didn't discretely tag along from time to time just to make sure that everything was alright. But Cana was a strong and capable young woman, all that he'd ever wound up doing was feel proud as he watched her handle things herself- she was turning out just fine.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the sounds of a commotion in the main hall. From the sound of it Laxus was back. Gildarts vaguely remembered the boy mentioning that he had been planning to get a tattoo earlier that morning.

Sounded like everyone else remembered that too.

"-come on Laxus- what did you get?"

"Did it hurt?"

"How much did it cost?"

"Oh, shut up! Why are you guys pestering me? Cana got one too- why don't you go bother her?"

The Ace spat his mouthful of beer across the table. His eyes popping out of their sockets as he choked for breath. His- his baby had gotten-?!

He zoomed down the stairs at speeds he hadn't known he was capable of going, only to see that his darling little princess' delicate shoulder was indeed covered in black ink.

This was it, some part of his shell-shocked brain thought, his sweet little angel had become a delinquent.

"D-Dad?!" His baby asked in alarm as he pulled her toward him without warning and began inspecting the offensive black design.

It… okay it was objectively quite beautiful. A black, stylized dancer illustrated like an old pen and ink drawing- it suited her very well, but that wasn't the point!

"Sweetheart- don't worry we can deal with this. There are plenty of places where we can get this- this _blemish_ removed. But why- Princess why would you do this to yourself?!" He was rambling, mind still stuck on the fact that she and Laxus had- wait.

The crash mage suddenly remembered exactly who had been with his baby and let her do this to herself.

"Dreyar!" He snarled like a feral dog, pulling his angel into his side to better protect her from the older boy's obviously poisonous influence. "How dare you let her do this! What the fuck kind of shop- "

"Dad."

"-should tear your goddamn throat out- "

"Dad."

"-never, ever going to let you anywhere near my little girl again- "

"DAD!" Cana yelled irritably," It's fake!" She growled, forcefully shoving at him to get him to back off a bit.

That made his brain blank for a moment as he blinked in confusion," Huh?"

"It's not a real tattoo." She said irritably, eye twitching," Laxus' tattoo artist asked if I would mind letting her apprentice freehand something on me in temporary ink. Since Lacey had already finished my ears, I figured why not."

"Finished your- "Gildarts started in confusion, before he suddenly noticed the metal poking holes in his baby's ears. "Your ears! Oh, baby why would you do this to yourself?!" He wailed.

Cana folded her arms and looked her father right in the eye," Because it's my body and I can decide what I do with it." She said firmly, making Gildarts sputter as he tried to find an appropriate argument to that.

"That's- you- young lady you are way too young to be putting holes in your body like this!" He said frantically," Is this- is this some kind of cry for attention? Baby- Daddy loves you so much and there are better ways to get my attention than- than _mutilating_ yourself!"

Cana once again tried to push her father off of her," I just thought they'd look pretty!" She snapped.

"But- Sweetheart if these get infected- "

"I got aftercare instructions from Lacey and everything I need to clean them properly!" Cana growled, totally done with this conversation.

"But- " This was some kind of cry for help, and all the books said he should set firm boundaries… did he punish her? He'd never had to do that before…

"Home. Now." He said firmly, he had to nip this in the bud right now.

Cana blinked in confusion," What?" She asked completely lost as her father began herding her out of the guildhall.

"You're grounded young lady." Sure, the earrings themselves were innocent enough. But first it was the ears, then it was the nose and the lips, and the eyebrows and that tattoo might be fake now, but _the next one might not be_!

He could kill Laxus for his part in this later, right now he had to figure out how to keep Cana from becoming a juvenile delinquent.

oOOOOo

As soon as they had gotten home Cana immediately ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door so hard the whole house shook.

Dinner that night was totally silent, the only sounds being their forks as they scraped across the plate. Just as they were finishing up, Gildarts decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Cana- I'm sorry I made a scene in front of everybody, but between the tattoo and the ears I think your punishment is warranted. I told you that you couldn't get your ears pierced and you did it anyway."

The brunette fidgeted for a moment, before quietly saying," … I thought they looked pretty. Mama always had pretty earrings on, I wanted to look like that too."

And suddenly Gildarts felt like the biggest ass on the planet. "Oh Sweetheart." He got up and pulled her into a hug. His little girl wanted to be more like her mother. "I know you miss her a lot, I do too, but when I said you couldn't get your ears pierced that meant you couldn't do it. It's your body, I understand that, but when I told you no, I meant it. Do you understand?"

"…yes." She said glumly, "I'm sorry."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, gently grasping her chin and tilting her head up. "They look beautiful sweetheart." He said honestly.

She lit up like a Christmas tree and hugged him back.

"…Does this mean I'm not grounded anymore?"

"Nope. Still grounded."

"But- "

"No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Cana's ears aren't actually pierced in the anime or the manga (not that I could find at any rate), I just liked this concept. Please tell me what you think! Gildarts isn't a bad dad, he's not perfect but he does his best. Did he really overreact- yes. But it was more because he just wants whats best for her and is a little unsure how to do it. I've been playing around with having him actually parent her, because the fluff is all well and good but I feel like i may not be giving him enough substance.


	36. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though they shared such an intimate bond through blood they were still strangers, that just meant they had to get to know each other better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This follows Sing Me a Song, but you can put this after most of the reveals if you really want to.

"Chocolate or vanilla?"

A snort." Give me chocolate any day of the week."

They definitely made for a strange sight- the strongest mage in Fiore and Fairy Tail's heaviest drinker sitting side by side on the doorstep of Fairy Hills playing twenty questions. But given that they were two strangers trying to figure out how to be a family it was a lot more understandable.

The Ace was feeling content despite the emotional rollercoaster that was the last twelve hours had been. He had an incredible daughter who had given him the right to love her, how could this be bad? He was pretty relieved when she had decided to stay outside with him rather than go get changed- he wasn't sure if he'd be able to let her out of his sight any time soon.

"Okay- let me think." Cana said with a smile as she wracked her brain for another question," Oh I got one- what's the weirdest place you woke up with a hangover?"

Gildarts made a face," A nursing home laundry room- still have no idea how I got there."

The brunette let out a snort before quickly devolved into giggles," What did the people say when they found you in there?"

"Not much- but I got groped by a lady older than Master, she said I had 'tight buns'." He said with a grimace and a shudder at the memory, hiding a smile as his girl started laughing her ass off. After she had calmed down a bit he asked," How did you get your puppy- you know the one you had when you got here."

Cana stared at her father in bewilderment," You remember- I got Lila when I wondered away from Mom during a festival. She was going crazy looking for me and I had climbed into a basket of puppies. Lila wound up following us home and Mom decided to let her stay."

"Yeah, she always did have a soft spot for animals." He said, remembering all the strays his wife had brought home.

"…How did you two meet?"

He gave her a misty-eyed smile," Actually we met back in her Mermaid Heel days. We both got hired for the same job by mistake and decided to work together- think it was dealing with Vulcans- but then there was an earthquake and we both pitched in to help the town."

Gildarts wet his lips before hesitantly asking," Did… did she ever talk about me?"

The brunette nodded slightly," I asked her why other girls dads and I didn't. She just hugged me and told me that you would have loved me, and that sometimes adults make silly mistakes that they can't go back from. I was too young to really understand what she meant then, but I think I do now."

The Ace didn't say anything, couldn't think of anything _to_ say, he just pulled his baby closer.

Cana shook her head a bit," Dogs or cats?'

He smiled, well aware of what she was trying to do," Dogs. Least favorite animal?"

"Pigeons- damn things are rats with wings. Favorite color?"

"Red- you?"

"Circassian blue."

"…That's oddly specific."

"Shut up. Favorite type of booze?"

"I have to pick?"

She smirked at her old man," Good answer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think you guys can tell exactly which line inspired the puppy chapter. The thing about Cornelia having been in Mermaid Heel is something I've seen a couple times and I thought it fit with how I've conceptualized the character. Why she stopped being in that guild I don't know, might figure it out someday though.
> 
> Also- I have once again hit writers block, if anybody has any ideas please put them forward, if nothing else it should get my brain moving.


	37. Catfight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'd thought he was going to have a nice relaxing evening- then he had to break up a catfight between Cana and some crazy chick. Finding out that his ex wife had his baby was definitely the most unexpected thing that happened though

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one started from a writing prompt I found on pintrest and the rest was me just writing with no solid game plan, but I feel like this actually came out pretty well. Also what does it say about our education system that in just one week of my new semester and I already hate life?

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

All Gildarts had expected from this evening was to go to a local bar, drink some good beer and relax in a comfortable atmosphere. Breaking up catfights hadn't even made the top twenty list of what he'd thought was going to happen.

Yet here he was, dragging Cana off of some batshit crazy chick who seemed to have come specifically looking to pick a fight. And unfortunately, once magic started flying he'd had to step in to preserve the bar.

"Woah, woah, woah!" He yelled as he pulled a kicking Cana away from the fight and tried to keep the other chick at arm's length." Ladies let's just calm down and walk away- you want to beat the shit out of each other? Fine. Just don't do it where people can get hurt." He said firmly looking between the furious girls.

The one who'd started the fight glared at Cana, huffed, and then limped out of the bar. He was slightly impressed at how roughed up she seemed compared to Cana- the card mage only had a few bruises and a bloody nose compared to the other girl's torn earlobe, bloody lip, scratched face, and pronounced limp.

Cana was still on edge but stood still enough when he got a first aid kit and some ice from the bartender (who was only letting them stay because the brunette hadn't started anything) and began patching her up.

"So, care to tell me what that was about?" He asked as he checked to make sure she wasn't concussed; he wasn't a doctor, but he knew the basic stuff to look for.

The brunette snorted," She accused me of stealing her clients."

He blinked," … Did you?"

"Of course I did. Not my fault they figured out I was better at divination than her." Cana said nonchalantly.

The crash mage blinked before moving on. He'd known that Cana was a talented card mage, but he hadn't realized that she was good enough to poach clients from other guilds (he saw the other girl had a guildmark but he hadn't gotten a good look).

"I didn't realize that was a big enough thing to start a fight over." He said diplomatically, handing over the ice pack.

The grateful girl held it up to her nose," To most people it isn't, but apparently all of her clients ditched her and all she's getting are those party jobs."

"Party jobs?"

"Where people pay you what they think is a lot of money to come give readings during a party- you know for shits and giggles. Those jobs suck- just glad I don't have to take them."

What do you know- he hadn't expected to learn things about the field of card magic either!

"Are you really that good?" He asked curiously, receiving an offended look from the brunette.

"You doubt me?" She asked testily, raising an eyebrow before fishing out her cards from her bag. With quick, practiced motions she shuffled her deck and then looked up at him with a challenge in her eyes." Ask a question past, present, or future- when I'm right you buy me a drink."

Deciding to humor her he asked," What job did Master and I discuss today?"

The violet-eyed girl quick fanned out and flipped her cards, only to look at him in astonishment at the result." You're taking a Century quest?" She asked incredulously, making Gildarts own jaw slacken a bit.

"Guess I owe you a beer." He said dumbly, signaling the bar tender to slide one down to them. Cana for her part, abandoned her interrogation in favor of the alcohol.

"I don't know if I'll be taking the quest on yet." He said calmly after the brunette downed the pint," The challenge sounds nice, but I don't know about being away from the guild that long."

Cana nodded before shyly saying," I know you could probably handle it but… well I'd miss seeing you around the guild." She busied herself in putting away her cards in an effort to hide her blush as the Ace stared at her.

That- for a moment he'd seen Cornelia sitting beside him. Shaking the moment off he casually asked," So how many clients did you steal from her."

Cana snickered slightly," About thirty altogether, but only a few are the kind who hire me regularly so only about ten. How about you- what marvelous things do people need crash magic for?" She asked in mock seriousness getting a grin from the older man.

Gildarts wasn't sure how long they talked, just that they had bounced from topic to topic and kept chugging beer the whole time. Talking with Cana turned out to be quite easy, any silences between them were caused by a fresh pint. He wasn't sure when or how it happened, but at some point, they had left the bar and wound up outside his house.

Cana was half asleep, leaning against his shoulder when she suddenly blurted out," You're exactly like my mom said you were." He turned to her in mild confusion as her cheeks flamed.

"How so?" He asked, wondering where this was going.

"…She always said you were like a knight in shining armor, kind, brave, and strong."

"Really?" He felt a little flattered.

"She also said you were a clutz!" Cana said teasingly, laughing a bit at Gildarts expression of mock outrage.

The brunette yawned, leaning into the older man's bulk as she tried to stay awake.

"Who's your mother?" The Ace asked curiously, if she had told her daughter about him then he had to have known her in some way.

The card mage yawned again, before dropping a bomb on the relaxed Ace," Her name was Cornelia."

He choked on his own spit as he tried to process what she had just said," Wait what- Cana your mom was- "He stopped talking upon realizing the teenager had fallen asleep against him.

Mechanically he scooped her up and brought her into the house- he was pretty sure she lived at Fairy Hills, but it was after midnight- giving up his bed for one night wasn't going to kill him.

There was no possible way.

There had to hundreds of women named 'Cornelia', but… how many of those women also had the last name 'Alberona'? That's if Cana got her last name from her mother, it easily could have been her father's surname.

He was just jumping to conclusions. There was no possible way, right?

oOOOOo

She was smelling bacon.

Cana wasn't sure what was going on, but if there was bacon it couldn't be too bad- right? She groggily opened her eyes, idly wondering who's bed she had fallen into last night. Drunken hookups weren't something she regularly did, but they were far from rare.

At least whoever it was made bacon, maybe she could grab some before she left.

Carefully sitting up she realized that she must have miscalculated- her hookups didn't usually end with her still wearing clothes, guess somebody found her in the streets and brought her home (which arguably might be worse).

"Oh, you're awake."

Her eyes snapped open as she processed the familiar voice, jerking her head to see her father standing near a small stove in the corner of the small room. Well, small house she amended herself- one with an open floor plan that made things feel a bit roomier than they actually were.

"Uhh," why was talking so difficult all of a sudden," Hi Gildarts."

The crash mage nodded calmly," You fell asleep against me last night and I didn't know where you lived so I figured letting you bunk here wouldn't hurt anybody- hope you like bacon."

"Who doesn't like bacon," She blurted out, quickly turning pink when she realized what she said," Um, thank you. You know, for the food and letting me crash here."

"No problem," he said with a smile.

Breakfast was awkward, but not too terrible all things considered. For a little bit Cana imagined that they were a normal family sitting down to breakfast.

After a little while Gildarts cleared his throat," Um Cana, its- you-you said some stuff last night." He stuttered, looking worlds away from the calm, collected man she was used to seeing.

"You- you said that your mother told you about me."

Oh. Fuck it all, now she remembered her tipsy confession. It could be worse; she could have told him everything-

"It's just- I used to know a woman named Cornelia Alberona and I was wondering if you- well I was wondering- "

"That was my mom's full name if that's what you're asking." Cana said, quietly interrupting her father's rambling. Should she bite the bullet?

Her father looked like someone had stabbed him," Oh. That's… small world huh?" He said with a fake laugh. "Um, this is going to sound weird, but- Cana you wouldn't happen to know your father's name, would you?"

Once again, she spoke before she thought," Of course I do." Inwardly wincing at the way Gildarts' face fell, like someone had just snatched the floor out from under him.

She did that. Who knew what he was thinking to put that look on his face? It was now or never," His name is Gildarts."

She squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for the fallout. And waited… and waited...

After a couple minutes she hesitantly cracked one eye open, to see her father's shell-shocked face.

He didn't even seem to be breathing, much less thinking.

"I-I should go." She told the comatose man, before bolting out the door with tears in her eyes.

She should have kept her fucking mouth shut.

oOOOOo

Gildarts wasn't sure how long his brain had shut down. Just that by the time he had finally come back to his senses she was gone.

How badly had he hurt her by taking the news like that?

But never let it be said that he didn't learn from his mistakes. He may not have truly processed this, but he hadn't gone after Cornelia and he regretted it almost every day- he had to go after Cana. To apologize for taking it so badly if nothing else.

That's how he wound up pounding on the door of Fairy Hills. He had no idea what he was going to say but he had to do something.

When the door opened, he almost punched the small, purple haired girl in the face. Wincing he apologized," Sorry about that- is Cana here?"

Laki stared at him in total confusion as she wondered what was going on but was saved from having to respond when Erza appeared and gently pushed her out of the way.

"What's the meaning of this Gildarts?" The scarlet haired girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Is Cana here- I need to speak with her."

Looking him up and down, Erza made up her mind," I take it the tears were your handiwork?" She said caustically making the other redhead wince.

First thing he does as a father was make his daughter cry.

"That's- this is all a misunderstanding- I- I really fucked up and I need to see her."

"I think you've done enough." She snapped.

"Erza please." He pleaded, making the girl pause just as she was about to slam the door in his face. Gildarts wasn't the type to beg, whatever had happened it was _bad_.

Against her better judgement Erza decided to play nice," Just this once Gildarts. If Cana gives the word you're gone- is that clear?" She asked seriously, getting an equally solemn nod of confirmation in return.

She keyed him into the wards of Fairy Hills," Cana's room is 234- you better grovel at her feet for whatever you did."

He didn't even bother to pay attention to his surroundings, he just bolted up the stairs straight to her room, taking care not to break the door when he knocked.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it Er-" the brunette broke off her furious tirade when she saw who was actually standing on the other side of her door, but she didn't even have a chance to react before Gildarts was pulling her into his arms as tightly as he dared.

"I'm so sorry Cana!" He said desperately," I shouldn't have reacted like that! I-I know I'm not exactly 'dad' material but I'll do my best I swear- " His rambling was cut off when the brunette pushed herself out of his hold.

"I know it was a lot to take in. I'm- I'm just glad to finally have this weight off my chest. I've been wanting to tell you the truth since I found out, but… well that obviously never happened."

"When- when did you find out?" He asked quietly.

Cana took a deep breath," Mama told me before she died, I actually joined the guild because I was trying to find you, I just- I just couldn't say the words no matter how hard I tried."

"I'm so sorry Cana." Gildarts said again, neither being sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

"Don't apologize, I'm the one who kept it hidden. And don't worry- I don't expect anything from you. Things can stay just like they are now. I'm just glad you finally know. I- I'm glad I met you Dad." She said with a smile.

He couldn't speak, it was all he could do to not burst into tears. She thought this didn't-

The card mage let out a slight yelp as she was unexpectedly pulled back into her father's arms," Cana everything's changed now! I'll be the most loving father anyone's every seen if you'll let me!"

"I-I don't have a problem with that."

Then they both started sobbing, clinging to each other, and completely ignoring the confused audience that gathered in the hall trying to figure out what the hell was happening. Oh well, cat was out of the bag now.

But they were smiling anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah not my best ending but I thought it was passable. Writers block has been hitting me like crazy lately as every facet of my life has gone upside down. I realize in hindsight that Erza gave in way too easily, since some of the stories I'm working on involve her heavily, I guess I'll have to work on that.
> 
> Also bacon is the food of the gods. That is all.


	38. Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While stopping to take in a festival Gildarts winds up trying to help a lost toddler find her parents, turns out her mother is more than a bit familiar to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have an explanation for where the name 'Cana' came from in this verse! I'm more excited by that then I probably should be.

He always loved the air that festivals had.

Just the sense of boundless joy and childlike excitement as everyone marveled at the beautiful colors of decorations and the smell of special treats in the air. Kids cheering as they ran from game to game as the adults watched happily.

Gildarts had been heading home after a long job when he'd heard the music and decided to investigate, turned out it was some kind of local holiday and the town had pulled out all the stops. He'd decided taking a few hours to enjoy the atmosphere wouldn't hurt anybody.

Later, when he was happily snacking on some of the goodies from the food booths, a tiny form collided with his leg. Startled a bit, he looked down to see the most adorable little girl he had ever seen. With tiny little chocolate curls and a pair of wide purple eyes that seemed to take up her entire face (and temporarily gave him a sense of déjà vu- he'd seen those eyes before, but where?), and a wide smile that showed off the few teeth she had.

"Big!" She cooed, looking up at him in awe.

He couldn't help himself," Small." He replied nodding sagely at the little girl who burst into giggles.

Such a sweet little thing- where were her parents?

"Big." A tiny hand tugged on his pant leg. "Up!" She demanded holding out her arms to match her request.

Gildarts hesitated for a moment, looking around to see if he could spot anyone looking for her, before complying with her request and scooping the little girl up. He smiled as she squealed, her head roving around as she took how different everything looked from her new vantage point.

"Well, I think we should go find your Mommy and Daddy little one." He said to the tiny girl who nodded happily," Mama!" She squealed in agreement.

Were all kids this cute and he had just never noticed?

It took a few minutes of visually searching before he decided to ask one of the local vendors. The sweet old lady who ran a stand selling dumplings took one look at the girl in his arms before she cooed," Did you run away from your Mama again Cana?"

The little girl blew a spit bubble as a relieved Gildarts started to talk," She walked right up to me- do you know where I can find her parents?"

The old woman laughed," The little miss only has her mother, and since she started to walk a week or so ago her poor Mama can't take her eyes off of her for a second. You should probably try the petting zoo, its her favorite and if I had to guess the poor woman is probably still looking around there."

"Thank you." The redhead said gratefully before turning his gaze to the little girl in his arms," Sounds like we're off to the petting zoo little miss Cana- think you can say 'bye' to the nice lady?"

The tiny girl nodded happily, turning toward the old lady opening and closing her fist in a semblance of a wave," Bye- bye!"

'Adorable' might not be a strong enough word.

Thankfully the petting zoo wasn't hard to find- just listen for the highest concentration of squealing little ones and annoyed animal bleats and he was right there. But as he looked around, he started to get worried that her mother might have already started looking somewhere else when he heard a frantic yell.

"REBECCA! REBECCA WHERE ARE YOU!" Wait that voice…

Gildarts sharply turned around and immediately came face to face with a frantic Cornelia- who stopped dead in her tracks as she locked eyes with her estranged husband.

Three voices spoke in perfect unison.

"Gildarts?"

"Conny?"

"Mama!"

Wait what-?

He looked from his beautiful wife to the tiny girl who struggling in his arms to get toward the older woman… to get to her mother.

And suddenly everything clicked into place.

oOOOOo

It was surreal.

After so many nights of dreaming about the moment he would see her again, here she was sitting across from him at a kitchen table in a cookie cutter house while _their daughter_ played on a blanket in front of them… and he didn't know what the hell he was feeling.

Betrayed, aghast, happy, sad, thrilled, scared, apprehensive- the list went on and on.

"Did… did you already know when you left?" He asked hesitantly not sure he wanted the answer but was relieved when Cornelia immediately shook her head.

"If I had known then I would have told you." She said seriously, before running a hand over her face," I found out a few weeks after… everything."

"Why didn't you…" He trailed off. Why didn't you come back? Why didn't you tell me?

"Gildarts…" She trailed off helplessly, before admitting," Anything I say will sound like an excuse. I… as soon as I left, I wanted to go back, but… well I've always been pretty prideful." She said with a self-deprecating smile, turning to focus on her baby as she played with a small wooden horse. "When Rebecca was born… I hated that you weren't there, and I hated myself because I took your baby away from you."

He was lost for words when something occurred to him," … Rebecca? The… a shopkeeper I talked to called her 'Cana'."

Cornelia nodded, explaining," Her full name is Rebecca Arcana Alberona. When she was born, I tried to call her 'Arcana' but… I just couldn't do it. I figured since I had already taken so much away from you the least I could do was give her the name you wanted, but by the time I made the decision to exclusively call her Rebecca, the entire town had already nicknamed her 'Cana'."

"…But you hated 'Rebecca'." Gildarts said with misty eyes.

"I don't anymore." She said quietly.

For a moment the only sound was the high-pitched baby babble from the little angel on the floor, before Gildarts decided to finally say his piece.

"Conny I'm sorry!" He blurted out," You were right- I was working too much and I was putting Fairy Tail before you! I just- please let me be in our daughter's life! I'll clean up my act I swe- "He was cut off when Cornelia's lips met his for the first time in almost two years.

After a moment they broke apart, resting their foreheads together, before Cornelia decided to say her piece." Gildarts- we both screwed up. I wasn't Snow White in this whole mess either, I could have been more understanding, I could have suggested marriage counseling, I could have done a lot of things. And I should have come back when I found out about our baby… let's start fresh. Just leave all the baggage behind and give this one more try. Even if you can't do that- you can come see her whenever you want, you're her father, it's your right."

The dam broke and suddenly both of them were crying, hugging each other, and promising to do better this time.

Then a confused little girl broke them out of it," Mama?" She asked looking between her mother and the friendly giant as she tried to puzzle out what was going on.

Cornelia wiped her tears away and scooped up her baby with a smile," Mama's fine silly." She cooed, before turning the two of them to face Gildarts. "There's someone I want you to meet sweetheart, this is your Daddy."

The tiny little girl cocked her head at him, "Da-da?"

Gildarts felt a second wave of tears start as he nodded. "Yeah. I'm Daddy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know not the best place to cut it off, but I thought it was a cute moment (I also starred at this for almost three weeks straight and couldn't come up with another ending). In my head they eventually join the bandwagon and call her Cana from then on. I kept Cana's age vague on purpose, she's old enough to walk and talk, but can't say too much and I couldn't decide on an age that definitively fit that. Please tell me what you think!
> 
> I originally planned on making this a 'might have been' scenario, where he winds up giving Cana to someone and only years later realizes just how close he was to finding out the truth. I may wind up writing and posting that eventually though.


	39. Miscarriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana experiences a loss no one should have to go through and she realizes that by keeping a secret she had taken her father's child away from him, and after having her own baby taken away from her, she knew she had to make things right. It was only fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Miscarriage, blood, self hatred, blaming, and description of child death.
> 
> This one isn't very happy guys, just a sad situation all around- Cana's not okay, but she will be eventually.

Makarov looked around the room at the tired and terrified faces of his children. How could this happen? Had Fairy Tail upset some deity and they had chosen to take out their frustration on an innocent?

The only question he or anyone wanted an answer to right now was whether or not Cana was going to live.

It had been such a wonderful day. Gildarts had come home and the entire guild had thrown a party to celebrate. There was laughter, liquor, singing, and dancing- one of the best parties the guild had thrown in a while.

Then everything had come crashing down.

At some point during the party, Cana had slipped away from the crowd into the backroom- when no one knew, why no one knew, and whatever had happened in that room no one knew; but when Laxus had gone back to get something he found a scene fit for a horror movie.

The minuscule guildmaster had to fight to keep from breaking down at the memory of the sheer terror in his grandson's voice as he screamed, begging for someone to help and of Cana's grey face as she lay limp and lifeless in a pool of her own blood. There… there had been so much blood.

He'd thought that she was dead at first. Crumpled on the floor like an abandoned doll, but she'd had a pulse, weak as it had been.

And now he and his entire guild were crammed into a hospital waiting room, waiting to hear if the child they had raised would die, with no clue how she gotten into that state. It could have been an accident or someone could have deliberately done this to her and left her to bleed out all alone.

"Uhm… those here for Cana Alberona?"

Immediately the white-coated doctor was surrounded. People asking questions and demanding answers left and right, screaming to be heard above everyone else.

"QUIET!" The guildmaster roared growing to make his point, as everyone settled down Makarov turned to the slightly spooked young doctor," Go on- is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, she's going to be fine."

The entire room broke out in cheers and sobs of relief at this news. She was going to be alright. They could worry about the details later; Cana was going to live.

"But," the entire room froze not sure what they were expecting to hear, but it certainly was not what followed,"...she lost the baby."

Shock and confusion reigned over the small space as everyone tried to puzzle out what had just been said.

"… What baby?"

Now it was the doctor's turn to look confused, as he pivoted in place to scan the sea of bewildered faces," Um… Miss Alberona was pregnant. I'd estimate at least twenty-five weeks- the miscarriage resulted from a hemorrhage of the uterine wall. I- I take it that none of you were aware of this…?"

Cana was-? She had been-? Fuck no they hadn't been aware of this! She'd been pregnant? All that blood- that had been from a lost baby?

How- how had no one noticed something this huge was going on?

What was going to happen now?

oOOOOo

Cana didn't wake up until late afternoon the next day. Makarov had been waiting by her side almost the entire time, with Macao and Wakaba taking up his place when he briefly had to leave the room.

She had been a little groggy at first, before she stilled and became almost catatonic, her hand poised over her now empty womb.

"I lost my baby." It wasn't a question. She wasn't crying or screaming, she just… devastated. Broken. The lights were on, but no one was home.

Makarov had never understood that phrase as well as he did now.

Her eyes were open, and she was breathing, but Cana wasn't there. She was a million miles away and he wasn't sure if she was going to come back.

Cana had just lost a child; he couldn't even begin to understand that pain. He had no idea who that child's father was or what the story between them had been, but Cana had clearly wanted that baby. His own pain at the lack of trust she'd had in them didn't matter, Cana's pain was all that mattered, and Makarov found himself utterly helpless to do anything to help her.

How could you fix something that could never be fixed?

"Where is she?"

He started slightly, before answering," Your- your daughter is in the morgue. I-we decided it would be best to wait for you to decide what you wanted to do with…"

"Cornelia." She interrupted, she took a shaky breath," Her- her name was going to be Cornelia. I- I want to bury her next to my mom."

The guildmaster nodded," That's fine- I'll make the arrangements. But Cana… what about the fath- "

"He made it clear he didn't want to be involved." She interrupted shortly, her tone making it clear that she didn't want to talk about it any further and Makarov wasn't going to push her.

"Master- do you think you could give me a little bit? I-I want to be alone for a little while."

The old man nodded, and the door had barely closed before he heard the poor girl start sobbing. He resisted the urge to go back in and comfort her. She had just lost her child, she deserved a chance to grieve in peace.

oOOOOo

She felt numb.

It was like the world was moving in slow motion around her, colorless and dull. Food had no taste and life had no spar.

Her baby was dead.

Her daughter, who she had already loved more than anything in the world, was dead. Her baby who always kicked her _just so_ when she ate spicy food. Who got hiccups every other day and shifted restlessly every time she tried to fall asleep.

It wasn't fair.

What had she done wrong? Why did this happen? She did everything right: stopped drinking, prenatal vitamins, doctors' appointments, taking damn birthing classes.

Why had her baby bled to death in her belly when she had been so close to being born?

Oddly she found herself thinking of her father: if she had died with her baby how would he have felt?

Would he have even cared? It wasn't like she was anyone important to him after all.

She was his child- if he had known about her would any of this have even happened?

In a roundabout way she had been taken away from Gildarts in a similar way her daughter had been taken away from her. She had lost someone who she had loved dearly despite not having met them yet, while he had met her but didn't know that he should love her.

Maybe all of this was crazy, her drawing parallels where none existed. Maybe she was being selfish, but by keeping a secret she had taken her father's child away from him and that just wasn't fair.

oOOOOo

Gildarts was hardly an authority on Cana, but even he could see that the girl was a shadow of her former self.

He couldn't say he understood. He had never lost a child.

So he was confused to say the least when Cana asked to speak with him shortly after she got out of the hospital.

The brunette's skin was white and waxy, with dark shadows ringing her eyes. Master had taken her to stay with him in order to make sure she took care of herself… well to make sure that she was eating at least. She certainly didn't look healthy to him.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" The Ace asked curiously, watching as the card mage visibly steeled herself.

"Did you know that the reason I joined the guild was so that I could find my father?"

The red head blinked," Actually that's the first I've heard of it. You saying your old man was a member of Fairy Tail too?"

Cana's dull purple eyes gazed at him solemnly," It's you Gildarts."

It took a moment to sink in.

When it finally did he was a slack jawed, spluttering mess trying to figure out what to say as _his daughter_ continued speaking.

"My mother's name was Cornelia Alberona, she told me who you were before she died. Obviously, I never said anything, but… my baby… I realized that if our positions were reversed, I would have wanted to know I had a child. After… _everything_ , I realized that by putting my feelings first I took your child away from you, and that just wasn't fair. You don't have to worry- nothing has to change, everything can stay the way it is, you just deserved to know is all."

With her piece said she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving her stunned father standing there.

oOOOOo

He had a daughter.

The love of his life had his baby and hadn't told him, and he probably still wouldn't know if his daughter hadn't lost her own baby.

Fuck- his baby had lost a baby.

He'd been about to become a grandfather until suddenly he wasn't.

And now his baby was hurting.

He didn't know anything about Cana. Not her favorite animal or least favorite vegetable. For all intents and purposes, she was a complete stranger to him.

What was it she'd said about taking a child away from him?

Cornelia had known how to get in contact with him, but she had deliberately kept him out of Cana's life. It… this may not be the same as Cana's current situation, but he could see why she'd drawn the parallels.

None of that mattered right now.

All he could think about was that his baby was hurting, and it was his job as her father to comfort her.

Thankfully Master hadn't asked any questions about why he'd been so desperate to see her, just sent him up to the guestroom Cana was temporarily calling 'home'.

She turned to the door on reflex and blinked in astonishment when she saw him standing there. If Cana had been about to say anything she was cut off when he immediately wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

After a moment of stunned silence, she finally managed to get up enough strength to ask," Why are you here?"

"Because you needed me." Gildarts gripped the fragile girl closer," I'm your father and you're hurting. Cana- I may not know much about being a dad, but if it's okay with you I would like to try."

"I'd like that a lot Dad."

It seemed like that was the final straw as the emotional roller coaster of the last few days finally caught up and she broke down in tears, clinging to her father as he gently rubbed her back.

Things weren't okay, but they would be eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed that the baby was a girl, I did that on purpose to separate it out from both 'let me tell you' and 'so much for happy endings'- I've gotten really attached to baby Henry as a character and I don't think I could kill him off, I have a hard time killing most characters off (the chapter where Cana dies took me a long time to actually write because I didn't want to kill her off). I actually originally considered doing something along the lines of Gildarts rushing home because he finds out about Cana and gets home to see his little girl either with a baby bump or with a newborn- he's trying to figure out what the hell he's going to do while Cana thinks its weird that he's so interested but certainly isn't going to complain about it.
> 
> I have the dad purposefully leave this time once again to separate this from 'let me tell you', in my head he's just an OC, but if you have someone in mind go ahead. Also as an apology for the depressing chapter I'll be uploading double this week.


	40. Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adjusting to a newborn means a lot of sleepless nights, in this case it also means a lot of uninvited guests who want to see the baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the promised bonus chapter for this week! It took me the longest time to write this, wound up with five different versions, but this is the one I thought was the best- hope you like it!
> 
> While I have you- thank you everyone who’s read this far. This really wasn’t something I ever imagined I could do. LJF you’re awesome and I’m always thrilled when I see a review from you.

For a man who destroyed everything he touched when he wasn't careful, simple tasks like doing the dishes became slightly more complicated. Add in that he was also desperately trying not to wake either his sleeping baby or his wife and doing the dishes was among the most nerve-wracking experiences of his week.

Logically, both he and Conny had known that having a baby meant a lot of sleepless night but knowing something and actually experiencing it were two entirely different things. Not that either of them would give up Cana for anything. The little girl had her parents wrapped around her little finger and she knew it.

A knock at the door sent the crash mage into a brief heart attack, as he frantically listened to see if it had woken either of his best girls- after a moment of silence he relaxed and went to get the door. And he found himself blinking stupidly in surprise.

"Hello Gildarts," the miniature guildmaster said cheerfully at the bemused crash mage," I know it's a bit sudden, but I wanted to come meet my new granddaughter- I hope you don't mind.”

How do you respond to a statement like that?

"Uh- come in?" Gildarts had called the guild to gush about his baby a few days after Cana had been born, the smaller man had said he couldn't wait to see her, but… Gildarts had kind of assumed that was Master's way of asking for pictures. Actually, how had Makarov even known where they were?

"So, how's the little one?" Makarov asked as the two men sat down at the kitchen table. The perfect conversation starter actually.

"She smiled at me!" The Ace gushed happily," Three weeks old and she's smiling! And she's so alert too!" When it came to his baby, Gildarts could gush for hours- something Makarov was more than fine with.

He'd known Gildarts since the crash mage had been a child, had seen him grow into the strong man he was today, but he'd never seen him as happy as he was now.

"So when were you going to tell me we had company?" Both men turned to see a smirking Cornelia standing in the doorway lightly bouncing a wide eyed baby girl, "It's good to see you Master." The new mother said to the miniature guildmaster, passing the baby off to her husband so she could hug the smaller man.

"You look stunning as always Cornelia," the older man said fondly returning the hug. He'd always liked her, but… he tried and failed to not look over to where Gildarts was holding the baby. The brunette woman wasn't fooled for a moment, taking her baby back from her husband.

"Would you like to hold her Master?" She offered with a smile.

"Absolutely!" The smaller man replied, eagerly taking the baby girl, who's eyes were wide open and taking everything. Gildarts hadn't been exaggerating about how alert she was for a three-week-old. Makarov felt his heart melt when the baby gave him the most brilliant little smile he had ever seen. Oh, she was going to become the darling of guild, with everybody wrapped around her little finger.

"Oh, what a little darling," he cooed.

A knock at the door surprised all three of them.

"Were you-?" Gildarts started to ask only for Cornelia to shake her head equally confused.

"No."

Another more insistent knock had Gildarts going over to answer, opening the door to what looked like the entire Fairy Tail guild.

"Hey Gildarts!"

"Congratulations!"

"We came to see the baby!"

"We brought presents!"

At some point Conny had joined him, both staring flabbergasted at his guild. Well, at least they were enthusiastic about Cana's birth?

But seriously- how had they found out where they lived?

oOOOOo

Several hours later the exhausted parents managed to slam the door shut after the last of the uninvited guests finally left. They barely had a chance to breathe before Cana started crying.

The two of them eye balled each other, before a frazzled Cornelia decided to put something out in the air," Gildarts I know you love your guild- "

"We're moving and not giving them our new address."

"Glad we're on the same page."

At least everyone had brought food and Cana now had enough toys and outfits for fifty children. Seriously though- how the hell had they gotten the address?!


	41. The Empress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana shows off with her magic in the guildhall, bringing the art work of her Empress card to life. Gildarts is left choking on his own spit because it would be a cold day in hell when he wouldn't recognize Cornelia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: song that can be considered sexually explicit (if, you know, you're a Puritan who thinks the word 'sex' is scandalous)
> 
> This chapter was heavily inspired by the fics Team Cana by shadowsrisen and Magic Under the Influence by Catwho. Both of which are awesome and I highly recommend them. Also, I discovered something writing this: I suck at writing fight scenes.

These kids were going to take the world by storm.

Of this fact Gildarts was absolutely certain.

They were all already some of the strongest wizards the guild had to offer, and they were still growing.

"FIRE DRAGON: ROAR!" Natsu cried fiercely, unleashing his trademark attack which Levy barely managed to block, giving out her own cry," SOLID SCRIPT: IRON WALL!"…

Let's go back a bit, shall we?

What started that morning as the standard death matches between the usual suspects had turned into an all-encompassing battle when someone (some moron who Master was going to kill for suggesting this) asked who the strongest one was among the younger generation.

Things quickly escalated into a battle royale.

The surprise was that the tamer members of the younger generation had eagerly joined in the fight.

The Ace would be lying if he said the battle had turned out like he had predicted. The other children- Lisanna, Elfman, Cana, and Levy- were often overshadowed by the powerhouses that were Erza, Mirajane, Natsu, and Gray, but they were all proving that there was a lot more to them than met the eye.

Gildarts had predicted that the main entertainment would be between Erza and Mira and Natsu and Gray; what he didn't expect was for the Ice wizard to be taken out by the combined skill of Cana and Lisanna.

He did approve that none of them had gotten between Erza and Mira- at least their self-preservation instincts were still intact despite prolonged contact with this guild of lovable idiots.

After Gray, Elfman had been taken out by a sneak attack via his younger sister ("You the MAN Lisanna!"). After which Lisanna had been KO'd when the armored wizard smashed into her after being thrown by the She-Devil. And now that Natsu had defeated Levy that brought the number of fighters down to a quartet, with only Erza, Mira, Cana, and Natsu left standing.

Cana had been the real surprise in all of this. The last few years he had seen her grow from a shy little girl to a confident young woman. She had been the one to fight strategically- using her knowledge of her opponents against them, targeting weak points the others may have avoided. Still, Natsu was Natsu and the Crash Mage was pretty sure he knew who was going to win.

"FIRE DRAGON: IRON FIST!" With a powerful strike the Dragon Slayer sent the brunette flying.

Gildarts winced in sympathy when Cana hit the ground with a resounding thud, but she immediately rolled back to her feet, a victorious smirk on her lips as she flicked a card to land just in front of the pinkette.

"Card Dimension: Capture."

And suddenly Natsu was gone.

Everybody blinked in surprise, even Erza and Mira paused midfight as they watched Cana calmly walk over and pick up the thrown card.

"Hey let me out! Let me out!"

She still had the smirk on her lips," Don't worry Natsu- I'll let you out eventually. Until then… well I have a lot of errands to run and of course they take precedence over undoing a harmless little containment spell, guess you'll just have to wait."

"DAMMIT CANA! LET ME OUT!"

Dang, he really hadn't seen that one coming.

oOOOOo

Later, after all the kids had been patched up, everyone was enthusiastically recounting the grudge match. Gushing over new techniques to try and power levels as they drank themselves stupid.

"I didn't even know you could do that with card magic!" Levy gushed in awe to the smug brunette.

"It's not something most people can do," Cana explained proudly," You have to make these kinds of specialty cards by hand and slowly infuse them with your magic energy over the course of a few days. Naturally most people don't bother because it's so time consuming."

"Wow!" The bookworm had stars in her eyes," Are there any other cards you made yourself?"

The Card Mage nodded," I actually made most of my cards- I find that they work better than the store-bought, mass-produced ones. If you want, I could show you."

The blunette nodded eagerly," Yes please!"

Cana smiled, pulling a card out of her before calling out," Card Magic: Empress!"

With a flash of light, the image of a beautiful woman stood in place where the card had landed.

Gildarts distantly felt his mug slip through his fingers, beer splattering everywhere. He didn't care, his Cornelia was standing right in front of him.

Wearing a white summer dress, that magnificent smile he remembered on her lips, her violet eyes sparkling.

Then she was gone, and he was left reeling.

Oh right. That had just been a demonstration of Cana's cards.

"Wow! She was so pretty!"

"Thanks! She's a protector; holds any barriers in place and helps me cast off any negative spells I might be under."

"Where did her design come from Cana?"

It was only after the two girls blinked and turned in his direction did Gildarts realize that he had been the one who had spoken.

"Um," Cana said uncertainly," I designed her to look like my mother. Why?"

"Oh, she just looks a lot like someone I used to know, is all." He said, giving the girls a forced smile before calmly getting to his feet." Nice job today- I'm going to get a rag and clean this up." He said, needlessly gesturing to the spilled drink.

As he walked into the backroom, he felt his mind jumbling as thoughts few at the million miles per hour.

_Her mother._

Cana was fifteen years old- if Conny was her mother then the timing could mean that _**he**_ -

Wait.

What was he doing?

Cana had never said that her mother's name was Cornelia. Even if it was, the chances of it being _his_ Cornelia were astronomical.

Hell- there were no guarantees that the card even looked like Cana's real mother, and even if it did plenty of people looked alike. He may even be remembering Conny's face wrong- it _had_ been fifteen years after all.

He was just jumping to conclusions.

There was no way that Cana could be his kid.

oOOOOo

It wasn't possible. He was just imagining things that weren't there.

This had been his mantra for the last few days. Logically he knew it, but he just couldn't get the tinfoil-hat theory out of his head. He had actually started avoiding Cana because everything the teenager did reminded him of Cornelia.

From her taste in books to how many marshmallows she put in her hot chocolate. And now, it seemed, her talent for the piano.

The brunette skillfully struck the keys of the instrument, sending a light-hearted melody out into the air (what was a piano doing in the guildhall anyway?). He couldn't place the tune though.

"You play music Cana?" Natsu asked from his perch on top of the massive instrument, a certain blue cat sleeping on his head.

The Card Mage gave him a blank stare, sarcastically asking," What tipped you off Natsu? The fact that I am sitting at a piano or the fact that my hitting the keys is making music come out of it?"

The pinkette just cocked his head (thankfully not dislodging the sleeping Happy), the sarcasm flying right over his head," What's this one called?"

The brunette sighed before answering," It's called 'Snow in August".

The Dragon Slayer let out an offended squawk," Snow! Why would you play a song about that pansy bastard!"

Cana let out another deep sigh before dully responding to the irate Dragon Slayer," It's not about Gray, Natsu. 'Snow in August' is a wedding march."

"Do you know any songs about fire?"

Cana stilled; the song stopping abruptly. Anyone close would have seen the flash of pure devilish mischief, before she schooled herself, casually answering," Oh, I do know one actually."

"Play it next!" Natsu demanded eagerly.

The Card Mage shook her head," You see it wouldn't make sense without someone singing the words- "

"So, sing it!"

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Cana sing!"

She let out a long-suffering sigh," Oh alright."

Once again hiding an impish smirk as Natsu let out a loud cheer.

As her fingers danced across the keys for the opening bars, she cleared her throat and began.

_I remember when you said your father's asleep_

_I remember our clothes drifting out to sea_

_So wake up, wake up dreaming_

_And lie here with me_

_Wake up, wake up dreaming_

_And lie here with me_

_Here we go_

_Just loose control and let your body give in_

_to the beat_

_of your heart as my hand touches your skin_

_Oh, is this love_

_Or,_

_Just sexual desire_

_We're gonna start a fire!_

Gildarts felt his jaw hit the floor and a cursory glance around the hall revealed that everyone else was in the exact same state.

Makarov was the first one to shake himself out of his stupor," CANA ALBERONA!" He roared.

This caused Cana to break off the song as she burst out laughing, holding her sides as tears rolled down her face at the hilarity of her little joke.

The Ace felt his own laugh start up- Cana had pulled some pretty outrageous stunts, but he had to admit that this was definitely the funniest he had witnessed.

Opinion of the guild was split. Half of the guild found it as hilarious as he did, and the other half were scandalized. Then there was Natsu, who was loudly asking what any of that had to do with fire.

Oddly this helped put his mind at ease. Seemed like some of the similarities were only skin deep. Conny had been a little wild at one point, but even she wouldn't have tried to pull a stunt like that.

The only connections between the two were the ones he had created in his head.

oOOOOo

To say Cana was furious was putting it mildly.

There was a miracle license called the MUI or Magic Under Influence license. Having it meant she could legally perform magic drunk, and not be arrested for public intoxication charges unless she did something _really_ bad.

She had jumped through all of the hoops, taken all of the tests, passed every fucking checkpoint to see what her decision making abilities were like wasted, proven that alcohol actually amplified her abilities, and for what?

They fucking rejected her at the last minute.

"I can't believe this." She snarled as she slammed the rejection letter onto the table with a resounding bang. "After everything they put me through- they fucking rejected me!"

"Uh… are you okay Cana?" Lisanna asked hesitantly, eyeing the fuming older girl.

The brunette whirled around on the white-haired girl," Blood tests, piss tests, stress tests, they shoved a goddamn lacrima down my throat and they do this to me!"

"Whoa, what's going on?" Gray asked cautiously, approaching his surrogate sister like she was a lit stick of dynamite.

"I got rejected for my MUI license." Cana growled.

The ice user blinked in surprise," Did they say why?" Cana had a freakishly high alcohol tolerance and according to one of those tests her body metabolized the alcohol at a rate three times faster than an average person (she'd been crowing about how she had literally been made for drinking for _weeks_ ).

The brunette huffed, grabbing the papers and scanning them, only to freeze.

Oh.

Yeah, that would do it...

She felt her cheeks go hot. Yeah, this one was totally on her.

"Cana?" The Ice-Make wizard asked suspiciously.

"It seems like there was a minor mistake on my name." She said shortly, desperately not wanting to say it.

"What kind of mistake and whose fault was it?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow at the Card Mage who desperately tried to avoid eye contact.

"Uh… you know what, it doesn't actually- "

"Cana _I will get the blackmail folder_ -!"

"Okay its totally my fault- you happy? And put some damn clothes on!" She snapped.

The half-naked boy yelped and scrambled to pull his clothes back on, unfortunately catching her by the wrist before she could sneak out of the guildhall.

"What kind of mistake could you possibly have made with your own name?" He asked incredulously.

"…I put it down as 'Cana Alberona'."

Now the ice wizard was even more confused," But that is your name."

"…Um, actually it's not."

"HUH?"

Both teenagers started as they turned to face the slack jawed stares of the entire guild. In hindsight she probably should've realized this would happen, whole guild was full of nosy idiots.

Oh well, might as well feed the animals just this once. "'Cana' has been my nickname since I was little, I've never really been called anything else, so sometimes I just forget it's not actually my name."

"Why is this the first I'm hearing about this?" Gray demanded, he knew about all of her dirty little secrets: that she lost her virginity behind the guild, her crush on Macao, and the fucking pickle thing- but she didn't tell him her real name?!

"You didn't ask, and it didn't matter." She snapped defensively," Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go see if I can correct this without having to do the tests again."

"Oh no you don't." Gray once again grabbed his surrogate sister and hauled her back towards him," You're not going anywhere until you tell me what your real name is."

"It's Rebecca, okay?" She growled, totally done with this conversation. The office she needed to get to closed in an hour, if she hurried she might make it in time.

"…That's it?" Someone from the peanut gallery asked incredulously. For the way she'd been acting, they'd all been thinking it was something like 'Prudence' or 'Ethyl'.

"How do you get 'Cana' from 'Rebecca'?" Mira asked in confusion, causing Cana to let out a frustrated breath.

"My middle name is 'Arcana'- you know, the Major Arcana? Now if you guys don't mind, I'm going to go deal with this." She snapped, finally leaving the guildhall.

As everyone dispersed to chat about the fresh piece of gossip, Gildarts sat in a frozen stupor at his place by the bar.

Rebecca… Arcana… Alberona…

This wasn't possible.

There was no feasible way that this was possible.

But he couldn't dismiss this as easily as he could the other details.

The card, her mannerisms, her name, the timing… all of this was only adding up to one thing.

He stood up and headed out of the guildhall as quickly as he could. He needed a firm answer before he could be absolutely certain, and there was one place where he could get that information.

Off to the hall of records he goes.

oOOOOo

What do you do when you find out your ex-wife had your baby and never told you?

In the case of Gildarts Clive: you get drunk.

The room was swaying a bit as he took another swig from the vodka bottle. He just kept running everything through his mind.

How could she do this?

How could she have hated him enough to do this to him?

He could've been there for Cana, could've been able to spoil her silly, to hug her on her birthday, to play tooth fairy for her. Even if their relationship had been completely unsalvageable, he could've been there for his daughter!

His daughter… he had a baby…

What did he know about Cana? Not much.

She used card magic and made most of them herself, she could drink like a fish, and played the piano even better than her mother. She liked sexual jokes and had no qualms about saying whatever was on her mind. She was powerful and had already qualified for the S-class trials twice and likely would do so a third time, he was already so damn proud of her.

Cana had been so young when she joined the guild… who had taken care of her? Who had tucked her in at night and read her bedtime stories, who had punished her when she did something wrong, who put band aids on her cuts and kissed her bruises better?

Who did his baby see as a father?

Where was she right now?!

Gildarts was suddenly struck by terrifying realization that he didn't know where his little girl was- he needed to go find her. Right now. He needed to find her and hold her and tell her that he was her Daddy and he already loved her so much it hurt-

Guildhall. He should start by going to the guildhall and if he didn't see her there, he would ask around. He'd look all night if he had to.

Maybe she would be willing to come live with him? Maybe they could be a family-?

He was getting ahead of himself, he had to tell her first, then it was up to her what happened next.

oOOOOo

The walk to the guildhall always seemed to take longer when he was drunk.

When he was worried about the physical wellbeing of his child the long walk seemed even more taxing then it probably should have.

He got the doors open and he almost collapsed in relief at the sight of Cana at her usual table; she was here, safe and sound.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was just the emotional overload of the day, but when he walked over to where she was perched the first thing he did was pull his baby into his arms for the very first time. One minute he's holding her, the next he's flying into a wall.

Which he hit with a thud that drove the air out of his lungs.

The hall was dead silent.

It took him a second to realize that what had happened: Cana, who had no idea why he had suddenly grabbed her out of nowhere, had judo-thrown him into the wall on reflex.

At least with reflexes like that he wouldn't have to worry about boys…?

"Oh my god!" Cana yelped, scrambling over to where he was," I am so sorry! I just- you grabbed me, and I panicked-!" She started trying to help him get up, only to let out another surprised yelp when he pulled into another hug.

"I'm so sorry- I swear I didn't- she never told me- " He babbled, trying to get his message across in the few seconds it took for the surprise to wear off and for Cana to start fighting his hold.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Let go of me-!"

"What's the meaning of this?" The stern voice of Master asked, the old man raising an eyebrow at the unusual scene that was Gildarts holding onto Cana like the girl was a lifeline, and a highly irritated Cana was trying to get out of his grasp.

"I would like to know the answer to that too!" The brunette snapped, once again trying and failing to push herself out of the Ace's grasp.

"I'm your father."

Cana froze, not even breathing as her brain tried to make sense of what she had just heard," What did you just say?"

Gildarts swallowed against a building lump in his throat and repeated," I'm your father."

"…How did you find out?" The brunette asked hesitantly, and the Ace stopped breathing as the implications of that statement hit him over the head.

"You knew?"

Cana didn't trust her voice and just silently nodded her head. His grip loosened enough in his shock that she was able to weasel her way out and after doing so she gently grabbed her father's arm and led him towards the backroom.

This wasn't a conversation she wanted an audience for.

"…How… how long have you known?"

She took a deep breath," It's the reason I joined the guild. Mama told me who you were before she died, and I came here to find you."

It was as if the universe was trying set a record for how many life-altering things he could find out in one day. He wet his lips as he tried to find the right words," Why didn't you tell me?'

"I tried, but things just kept getting in the way. You would head off on a job just as I opened my mouth, or someone would call you away. Eventually I guess I was just too afraid to tell you, I mean you're _you_ and I'm… I'm the dregs of Fairy Tail."

Once again, he didn't think, he didn't stop to dignify a sentence of that much stupidity with a response, he just pulled his baby into his arms, holding her a tightly as he dared. He pressed a kiss to her head," You're my daughter Cana- I wouldn't care if you didn't have any magic at all. I don't need some magical supernova; all I need is for my little girl to be happy and healthy."

It was everything she had ever wanted to hear.

Cana broke down, burying her face against her father's chest as she sobbed and he held her, gently rubbing her back.

"Cana- will you let me be your Dad? Will you let me have the right to love you?"

"Of course I will Dad!"

Then suddenly they were both crying.

They'd have to go face the masses eventually, but for now they were content just to hold each other.

oOOOOo

A few weeks later and things were finally beginning to settle into a new normal.

Despite her initial hesitation, Cana had decided to move in with Gildarts, both for family bonding sake and because she realized that living with her old man was rent free. Things had been… challenged at first.

With Gildarts trying to squeeze fifteen years of missed moments into a few weeks and Cana trying to adjust to finally getting the attention she had craved for so long. Beyond that they were two strong minded people not used to compromise, and after years of independence the brunette had taken some time to adjust to being parented.

But eventually they had found their balance in their new normal.

"What are you doing sweetheart?" The Ace asked curiously as he entered into the newly-renovated house to see his darling little princess at the table surrounded by art supplies, wearing a pair of magnifying glasses as she worked.

Cana paused, wiping the sweat off her forehead as she carefully set her brush down and turned around to face him," I'm replacing my 'Chariot' card- it got trashed when I sparred with Elfman. They work best when you make them by hand."

Gildarts was suddenly struck by a sense of déjà vu- remembering the demonstration that had led to all of this," Can I see it?"

The brunette's cheeks suddenly went pink and she deliberately avoided eye contact with him," Uh, sure?"

Quirking an eyebrow, he walked closer so he could take a look at the card-in-progress, only to still when he realized that the man driving the chariot looked astonishingly like him. He looked back to his baby, who shyly answered the unasked question.

"… It works best when you use people who mean something to you for the face cards. The Chariot means overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction despite all obstacles. I… I felt like it was fitting."

"Thank you, baby," He croaked, neither entirely sure what he was thanking her for as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, lightly resting his chin on the top of her head.

Despite all of the obstacles that came with adjusting to their new lives, things were going to work out. They just had to keep moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The things from the fight with Cana's cards were largely based on shadowsrisen's fic Team Cana. I was originally going to make the card designed to look like Cornelia the High Preistess in order to separate it out from the other fic, then I did some research on tarot. The Empress is a maternal figure, protective, motherly and is often depicted pregnant, while the High Priestess represents secrets and mysteries- Empress just seemed like a better fit. The bit with having Cana actually design the cards by hand- draw, paint, put magic into them- is mine though, I just liked the mental image of her watercolor painting one of her cards, going to great lengths to make sure it comes out perfect.
> 
> The MUI licsence was from Catwho's Magic Under the Influence, which is a work of art. If you haven't read it you should.
> 
> The piano scene has been with me for a few chapters now, what can I say her 'letting' Natsu talk her into playing a song about sex was just too funny! The song is called 'Start a Fire' by Ryan Star and its one of my favorites- the lyrics get a little racier later in the song but it isn't bad at all. The judo throw part was also something I couldn't get out of my head and I was laughing my head off as I visualized it over and over.


	42. Home Videos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts missed out on his daughter's childhood, this is an unavoidable fact. But when Cana finds a box of old home videos, he gets a glimpse at the life his two best girls lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a reference to 'Sing Me a Song', but this can be after most of the reveals where she is in her later teens if you want. Also thanks to everybody who has been with me, I never dreamed that I would be able to make it this far and here's to all the stories yet to come.

Gildarts was trying his best not to panic as he repeatedly scanned the raucous crowd of guildmembers for Cana.

He was being ridiculous. Cana was a grown woman who could take care of herself, she didn't need her daddy fretting over her all the time, but… acknowledging that didn't change his feelings.

The Ace was still getting used to his newfound parental status, and he was finding that he preferred to have his baby girl in his line of sight at all times, and if he couldn't see her then he wanted to at least know where she was.

There was a term for this, separation anxiety.

"What's eating you Gildarts?" A familiar voice asked.

The red-haired man looked over to see the miniature guildmaster perched on the bar to his left, the old man had an eyebrow raised and a beer in his hand.

"I just-"The crash mage took a breath and gathered his thoughts," I just… I don't know where Cana is and I just-"

He cut himself off and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, though he was slightly mollified when he saw the knowing look the old man gave him.

"I understand." Makarov said gently," You don't know where your baby is and you don't like it, even though you know she can take care of herself."

"Exactly." Gildarts said with a sigh.

The old man gave him a sympathetic smile," This time of year Cana would usually be getting ready for a dance recital, but this year she's coaching some of the younger children in their routines on top of that."

"Oh… thank you." The Ace said feeling an odd mess of emotion. Relief that he knew where she was, gratitude to the smaller man for the information, guilt that he hadn't known that, and a deep seated jealousy that another man knew something about his own child that he didn't.

"-ildarts. Gildarts."

"Oh- I'm sorry what was that Master?" He asked as he snapped out of his head.

The miniature guildmaster raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the other man's lapse," I said: has Cana given you an official invite to her recital yet?"

He started slightly," Oh- uh, no she hasn't. Is it important?"

Makarov nodded," You won't be able to attend without an invite, I got mine a few weeks ago and already reserved flowers to give her afterword. She's been working on this routine for months now."

Once again Gildarts felt a sharp spike of jealousy through his chest. He didn't even know Cana danced until a few weeks ago, but Master had raised her. He knew so much more about her than he did.

"So- "He cleared his throat slightly," I've been meaning to ask Master- when did the ballet start?"

He shouldn't be asking this. He shouldn't have to ask another man for information about his own child. He should be the one who knew this offhand, should have been the one with flowers ordered and a seat reserved, not Master.

"Actually, it started a little after she got here." The old man explained," She already played the piano when she arrived and I took her to the store to see if we could keep the lessons going, she's been learning a new instrument every few years since. The dancing started a few weeks after that, I'm pretty sure she was around six."

Six. She had started dancing when she was six.

Master had been the one to arrange it because he wanted to nurture her talents.

Gildarts forced a smile for the old man, politely thanked him for the information, and then began the trek home.

Wallowing in his guilt had become a regular addition to his daily routine.

oOOOOo

Adjusting to suddenly having a daughter was more than a little difficult. Despite Cana saying she didn't blame him for anything, it didn't change the fact that he had unintentionally hurt her all these years. He had unknowingly ignored his own child in favor of others, and that had to be a slap in the face to Cana- that her father had put all these other children before her.

But now he knew the truth and he was doing his best to stand by her, yet… they were strangers. Blood didn't change the fact that he knew nothing about her.

He loved Cornelia. Always had and always would, but… she had chosen to keep him out of their daughter's life. Because of that decision he had missed everything. Now, now his daughter was all grown up.

She was a strong, independent woman who didn't need a father in her life. She had her own apartment and wasn't too keen with his idea that they could get a place together. She took her own jobs, had a different style of magic than he did, had her own routines that he wasn't part of.

Bonding dinners and walks could only do so much.

A knock at the door pulled him out of his depression, maybe she'd come to see him?

And his hopes were rewarded with the sight of his beautiful princess on the other side of the door- covered up more than usual thanks to the icy weather and a box under her arm.

"Cana-sweetheart! I'm so glad you're here!" He cooed sappily, as he pulled his girl into a bear hug much to her protest.

"Pops- hey come on let go!"

Unfortunately, it was cold outside so he had to let her go so he could get her inside- the last thing he wanted was her catching a cold on his watch.

"I was cleaning out my closet and I found these," Cana said gesturing to the box on the kitchen table," Mom was big on the home movies when I was little and… well I figured you might want to see them." She finished awkwardly.

Gildarts was speechless- home movies? Conny had filmed parts of Cana's childhood?

"Th-thank you sweetheart." He said slightly choked up," Do-do you want to watch them with me?" He offered hopefully.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, before apparently deciding to throw caution to the wind," Sure why not? If nothing else, we can spend some time together."

Home videos and bonding time with his baby- could this day get any better?

Pulling out the small visual lacrima, he and Cana set up the area so they could watch together.

"Are these in any particular order?" He asked, looking at the rows of neatly spaced crystals that unfortunately had no labels.

Cana shrugged before shaking her head," Not as far as I can tell, I guess we just pick one and go from there."

Gildarts carefully scrutinized each individual lacrima, before finally selecting one and sliding it into the slot on the projector.

The device whirred to life and an image was projected into the air over the crystal.

_A warmly lit kitchen, the walls painted blue with the odd framed picture, the camera focused on a dark-haired baby who was chewing on one tiny fist and with her other was finger painting on the table in some kind of orange mash._

" _Rebecca! Rebecca sweetheart look this way!"_

_The baby obediently turned her head at the sound of her name, squealing in delight when she saw her mother. Cornelia set down the camera and walked into the scene, easily scooping up her happy baby._

Gildarts felt tears begin to fill his eyes- this was his family. That was his wife and that was their baby back when she'd still been a baby. Both of his best girls together.

He'd always known that Conny would have been a fantastic mother, seeing the confirmation made him smile so hard it hurt. He should have been there, but this was the next best thing.

" _Are you having fun painting with your dinner silly girl?" The dark-haired woman asked playfully, smiling at the responding babble, and somehow managing to balance her daughter in her arms as she wiped up the 'artwork' with a dish towel. "I think it's time for someone to have a bath- say bye-bye to the camera now angel!"_

_Cornelia turned, taking Cana's little fist in her hand and waving it toward the camera, before going over to turn it off._

"You know," He started slightly and turned to his now grown-up baby who was eyeing the projector with an odd look on her face," It's one thing to know that you were once a baby, but it's so weird seeing evidence of it."

Gildarts had to agree with that and pulled his daughter into a one-armed hug before grabbing another crystal to switch out with the first.

_The camera flickered on to a hallway, the positioning showed that both the camera and the person filming were on the floor, the object of interest was a slightly older Cana on the floor, pushing herself up until she was standing on shaky legs._

" _Come on angel I know you can do it! Walk to Mommy!"_

_The little Cana took a stumbling step and almost fell over, but stubbornly refused to give up and managed four more steps until she managed to reach her mother who started cheering at her daughter's accomplishment._

" _YOU DID IT! OH, MY DARLING YOU DID IT!"_

_The image was a whirl as Cornelia scooped up her baby and spun her around, still holding the camera in her hand as she did so. The screen flicked out, indicating the end of that particular video._

The father-daughter pair watched the remaining videos on the crystal in a comfortable silence. Each video being along the same lines as the first- daily life in the Alberona household from Cana toddling around to the lengths Cornelia went to in order to get her baby to eat her breakfast.

"You were adorable," Gildarts said fondly, smiling when Cana's cheeks flushed pink. The teenager didn't make eye contact as she grabbed a random crystal to switch them out.

And then immediately regretted it when the image that flickered on was her heavily pregnant mother being coached through a contraction.

"Oh god!" Cana immediately jerked the crystal out, ignoring her father's protest. "You want to watch me be born do it on your own time!" She snapped, getting a pout from her old man, "As for me: I don't want the nightmares!"

Gildarts was still pouting but pulled out another crystal and slid it in.

_The image flicked on to reveal a small room with a roaring fire going, the camera was aimed at the duo seated in front of a beat-up old piano, a music lesson in progress._

" _Ok sweetheart, its C, D, E, F- "_

The video suddenly paused.

"Pops are you okay?" Cana asked in concern at her father's shell-shocked state.

"The- the piano." He stuttered in shock, staring at the frozen image with wide eyes.

"What about the piano?" The brunette asked in confusion.

Gildarts helplessly opened and closed his mouth before finally managing to get out," Bullet holes…"

"Huh?"

"It- your Mom and I got rained in this old inn after a job once. W-we had already been dating but it wasn't anything serious yet. To pass time we made up a song on an old piano… I- there were bullet holes in it, but she never believed me. That- I think that's the same piano." The Ace said in dumb shock.

Cana blinked in surprise," Seriously?"

All he could do was nod.

They had fallen in love over that piano. Had spent hours banging on the keys and making up lyrics. He'd passed back through that inn a few years after she had left and he hadn't seen it, he had always assumed that it had finally fallen apart…and now it looked like she might have taught their daughter how to play on the instrument they had played together.

That… he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

They finished that crystal and then Cana gathered up her things to leave, and just as she was pulling her coat on, she snapped her fingers," Knew I was forgetting something."

She riffled through her bag for a moment before pulling out an envelope covered in gold filigree, " I've been meaning to give this to you for a few days now- you see I have a dance recital at the end of the week and you need an invitation to get in." She blushed slightly," Uh- well that's if you want to go. You totally don't have to if you don't want to-"

She was cut off when her father pulled her into a hug," I'll be there." He swore with a smile on his face.

She returned the hug before heading home for the night, leaving Gildarts alone in his small house.

He sat at the table for a few moments marveling at the embossed envelope in his hands, before grabbing the crystal he had set aside and popping it into the projector, quickly forwarding to the moment he wanted to see the most.

" _Okay Miss Alberona- one more big push-!"_

" _That's what you said the last three times!" The laboring women snapped, before forcefully pushing down and the entire room being rewarded with a loud wail._

_The little miracle was immediately pushed into her mother's arms, a doctor happily declaring her sex to the room. But the new mother obviously wasn't listening, she was just staring at the tiny little girl on her chest with an awed smile on her face and tears in her eyes._

" _What's the baby's name?" Someone off screen asked lightly._

_Cornelia didn't even bother to look at the speaker, enamored with her baby as she was, and lovingly said five small, powerful words._

" _Rebecca. Her name is Rebecca."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me forever to write this, I started this in April and didn't finish it until September, but I think that this turned out pretty sweet. Don't worry, there is more sappy family fluff from the three of them to come! And in case it wasn't clear he wanted to see the moment his daughter was born and it had the bonus of Cornelia calling her 'Rebecca' first, before ever calling her 'Arcana'. Acknowledging that she is just as much her fathers daughter as she is hers.
> 
> Also- the piano was not the same one, it just looked similar. Though if you want it to be the same one then go ahead.
> 
> One more thing before I'm done: I GOT A BRAND NEW BABY NIECE ON WEDNESDAY! SHE'S SEVEN POUNDS OF PURE ADORABLENESS AND I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE! Sorry I just wanted to brag about her a bit.


	43. Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana inherited Gildarts' insane strength and destructive capabilities, but thankfully has the control her father doesn't... when she’s awake enough to focus that is.
> 
> Shitfiredragon prompt- Cana is secretly really, really scary. Now I can't help but imagine everyone finding out when she walks through a wall. Thats how ALL of Magnolia finds finds out, by the way. Holes in walls her size all because she was too tired after a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For shitfiredragon, I loved both of the ideas you gave me, I just have been slow at writing everything down! I hope I nailed this for you!

It took a while for people to notice.

Fairy Tail was a destructive guild with a reputation for property damage and the citizens of Magnolia had largely accepted this. The odd blown up fence or hole in a wall wasn't too remarkable in the grand scheme of things.

At first the blame would fall on Gildarts or Natsu if the Ace wasn't in town, but when a hole appeared when both of them were out of town… that was when everyone began to get curious.

The hole was textbook crash magic, from the way the wall had remained mostly intact to the perfect cubes that made up the rubble, but it was much, much smaller than Gildarts' massive bulk.

But Gildarts was the only person with the raw power necessary for crash magic… right?

The rumor mill had been buzzing for weeks. Everything from Gildarts taking on an apprentice to a secret love child (there were very good odds on the child being Erza), but when nothing came of it, everyone ultimately let it go.

Then almost a year later, a low wall was blown apart into the trademark cubes of Gildarts Clive.

And, yet again, it sent the rumor mill into a tizzy.

It happened several times over the years, and each time there was no conclusive answer, and everyone let it go.

That didn't stop the gossip, oh no- but without proof it wasn't anywhere near as fun as it might have been otherwise.

oOOOOo

Cana was tired.

No, that wasn't accurate.

Cana was experiencing a bone-deep exhaustion, to the point that she was more than willing to just drop to the ground and pass out for a few days. Her thoughts were disjointed, her speech came out slurred, and she couldn't walk in a straight line to save her life.

It was like being drunk without the fun!

Her mission had lasted two months.

Two months of wandering around a fucking desert that was hotter than Satan's sweaty ass crack, following around a paranoid rich chick, who refused to hire more security for her stupid procession of servants, animals, and shit to show off how rich she was.

As the only mage it meant two fucking months of being the only security those morons had and only sleeping an hour at a time. To top it all off- not only had that bitch only 'allowed' her to eat one meal a day, she hadn't had any booze for _two fucking months_!

 _Two fucking months_ of sobriety and Cana had found that it made her a bit bitchier than she usually was.

So, upon returning to Magnolia all she wanted to do was go home, shower, eat enough food to rival a bear getting ready for hibernation, shower, get drunk, and then sleep for a week straight- not necessarily in that order.

But _no_. Standard protocol was to drop by the guild to check in with master and give a brief report of how the job had gone.

So, this led to her in all of her exhausted glory, going into the guild hall when she only had a vague idea of which direction was up.

"Welcome back Ca- "

"Save it. I smell like something dead; I don't know when the last time I ate something was, and I haven't slept in almost five days. I just want to give my report and go sleep." The exhausted girl said in a state of frustrated desperation .

Thankfully Master sympathized with her plight, asked for the bare minimum of information, and then tried to send her on her way.

It was maybe two minutes of talking before she began staggering towards the door… or well she tried to at any rate.

"Cana-!" Mira attempted to yell once she realized the brunette was on a collision course for the wall.

BAM!

What everyone had expected to happen was for the card mage to hit the wall and drop- instead, the wall exploded in a shower of perfect cubes.

As the zombie who was normally Cana continued to make her way home, totally uncaring (and somewhat unaware) of the destruction in her wake, her guildmates stared at the Cana-sized hole in with slack jaws and bluging eyes, as they futilely tried to find an explanation for what they had just seen.

"…Master?"

"Y-yes Mirajane?"

"…That was crash magic, wasn't it?"

"… It certainly looks that way, yes."

"I thought that Gildarts was the only person in the guild who could use crash magic?"

"I thought so as well."

"…"

"…"

"… Aren't magic affinities genetic?"

"…I think I should check the records."

oOOOOo

By the time the zombie made it back to her room (leaving a trail of property damage in her wake) the entire guild had been made aware of the incident… and the ensuing revelation.

It had only taken Makarov five minutes to find the bombshell hidden in Cana's file… and about seven minutes to get completely plastered to the point he started talking.

Cana Alberona was the daughter of Gildarts Clive.

Within an hour, this lovely little piece of information had quickly made its way around town, until every single person in Magnolia was aware of their hero's newfound parental status.

After that was when things began to spiral.

"-Cana? I can't believe this- "

"Apparently her mother was Gildarts' ex-wife- could you imagine a divorce so bad you don't tell him about a baby- "

"-actually, this explains a lot."

"-don't believe it. If she's his kid, then why isn't she S-Class yet?"

"Do either of them know?"

"- has anybody thought about teaching her to control that magic yet? I don't want my business destroyed!"

There were many thoughts and opinions on this matter, and the only thing people were on the same page about, was that the two of them deserved to know. Now… how do you tell two people who have probably never even spoken to each other that they were father and daughter?

This had to be handled _delicately_.

oOOOOo

Makarov Dreyar had seen a lot in his long life, and it took a lot to throw him off. This however... yeah, he had no clue how to approach this.

"I say we tell them together- you know, so that we can limit property damage."

"Yes, but who knows when Gildarts is going to be back- you think we can keep this secret from Cana until then?"

"Shouldn't be too hard- I mean she doesn't really notice anything beyond a bottle."

"I assure you- Cana is far more perceptive than anyone gives her credit for." The miniature guildmaster said sternly, wanting to nip that line of discussion in the bud. Cana was a heavy drinker, but the old man could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her actually get drunk on one hand and still have fingers left over (which actually made a lot more sense now that he knew who her father was)! She drank to excess, but that didn't take away from her intelligence.

He was too old for shit like this.

Makarov rubbed at his face in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose before deciding," I'm going to call Gildarts back. We'll tell them both together and until he gets back, we do our best to keep the secret from Cana."

Now… how many more beers could he drink without dying? He needed the extra courage to try and plan this shit show to avoid as much destruction as he could.

oOOOOo

Cana was more than a little surprised that nobody had woken her up.

Sleeping three days straight couldn't be healthy for anybody, no matter how much better she felt.

It was a good thing she had enough food stashed in her room for a week, because there was no way she was going out there until she felt more human.

One shower and enough food to satisfy Natsu three times over later, Cana was interrupted from another cat nap to the sound of the bells ringing in a very familiar way.

Gildarts was back.

Her inner child was thrilled, bouncing ecstatically and insisting that they go welcome him home, the logical, adult, part of her brain said that he would probably still be there if she took another nap and then went to get an actual hot meal, rather than binging on snack foods.

A loud knock on her door gave her pause.

Confused, the card mage got up and answered the door, raising an eyebrow at the serious face of Erza Scarlet.

"Cana- Master wants you back at the guildhall." The armored wizard said, oddly formal, to which the brunette just blinked.

"Did he say why?" She asked curiously, grabbing her bag and getting ready to leave.

"I am not at liberty to discuss it." Erza said, refusing to look directly at Cana for some reason.

"Uhh- okay?" Cana answered, more than a little apprehensive. Had Gray ratted her out for the pickle thing?

"Come along- we don't have any time to waste."

The walk over to the guildhall was… weird.

Fairy Hills being totally quiet was odd, but when Gildarts got back everyone usually went to greet him, so it was understandable. But the streets of Magnolia…

The streets were packed as per usual, but every time someone saw her all chatter died. They just stared at her like she was some interesting creature in a zoo, whispering and pointing at her as she passed.

"Erza, what the hell is going on?" Cana hissed quietly, trying to avoid looking at the gawking weirdoes.

The redheaded girl just looked staunchly ahead," I'm afraid I don't- "

"Cut the crap Erza!" The violet-eyed girl snapped," Tell me what the fuck is going on or the events of a certain day go public."

The S-class wizard stilled, a chill running up her spine. "Every-everything will make sense after the guildhall, I swear."

"Not good enou- "

"Cana!" Erza snapped, finally looking the card mage in the eye," I know this must be odd- but I can't tell you anything. Master's orders."

The brunette gave her friend a quick once over, before deciding to let it go for now," I better get answers."

"I assure you- you will."

The rest of the walk to the guildhall was in silence, and upon walking through the doors Cana was met with the sight of just about every single member of the guild packed onto every available surface. And each one of them stared at her like she was an alien placed there for their viewing pleasure.

She didn't like this, but she'd be damned if she let them know just how uncomfortable this made her.

"What?!" She snapped furiously, and everyone awkwardly looked away.

"Um- Master's in his office Cana." Macao said awkwardly, not meeting her eyes.

She let out a huff and headed up the stairs. The card mage didn't even bother knocking, just walked straight in and was immediately more confused than she was before.

What the fuck was Gildarts doing in here?

"Erza said you wanted to see me Master?"

The old man nodded, "That's right- please sit down Cana."

"Master when are you going to tell me what is going on?" Gildarts asked in frustration. Well, at least someone else was as confused about this as she was.

The old man winced," I don't know how to tell either of you this." He rubbed at his temples for a second before continuing," Cana how much do you remember about when you checked in to give your report?"

The girl blinked owlishly.

"Not much." She admitted," I was pretty out of it."

The miniature guildmaster winced," I can certainly confirm that, but it was more- you see-" He cut himself off again before bluntly saying," Cana, you destroyed a wall with crash magic when you left the guild."

"I did what?" Cana said incredulously.

Gildarts, however looked like he'd reached some epiphany," Oh, do you have me here because you want me to teach Cana how to control it?" That would explain a lot, but the old man just winced.

"Not exactly… Gildarts, Cana- you two are father and daughter."

"What?!" Two voices asked in perfect harmony, equally shocked, albeit for different reasons.

"You two are father and daughter. Now I understand this has to- Cana what are you-?"

The brunette had stopped listening, the sound of her own heartbeat reverberating in her ears drowning everything else out. Her body moving on its own.

_Ba-bump_

This wasn't happening. This wasn't how she had wanted this to happen.

_Ba-bump_

She had wanted to tell Gildarts on her terms- this- this wasn't-!

_Ba-bump_

She had to get out of here. She had to go hide someplace where no one would look for her.

_Ba-bump_

Cana bolted down the stairs, distantly recognizing the surprised voices and the calls for her to wait, to stay, to not run.

_Ba-bump_

The way everybody had been acting- they all knew. They knew who she really was.

_Ba-bump_

Tears stung her eyes and her lungs burned as she ran full speed, wanting to put as much distance between her and the guild as could. She had no clue where she was going- didn't care either.

What the fuck was she supposed to do now?

oOOOOo

Gildarts was in shock.

He had a daughter.

Cana was his daughter.

Cana, whom he had spoken to maybe once, who had bolted out the door upon learning the truth. That… he'd be lying if he said that didn't hurt.

Master put a hand on his shoulder," Don't worry- I'm sure if we give her a little time to process- "

"How- how did you find any of this out?" How did Cana blasting a wall apart with crash magic (he felt strangely proud that his daughter had the same magic as him) turn to Master apparently finding out that they shared blood.

"…Magic affinities are largely inheritable. At first, I thought that you two might be cousins- sharing the magic through distant connection- and I checked her file to see if there were any names that you two shared, but… Gildarts…" The old man pushed a piece of paper into his hand. A cursory glance at it revealed that it was a birth certificate. From the context it was Cana's…

He thoughts stilled as he read the names, unceremoniously inked across the yellowing paper.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

Mother: Cornelia Alberona

Father: Gildarts Clive

Conny

Conny was the mother of his baby. Conny who he still loved so much it hurt. Conny, who he had married. Conny, who he had never gone after when everything had fallen apart.

Had she known then?

When they had screamed themselves hoarse and he had said a lot of things he hadn't meant- had she already known that Cana ( _Rebecca- why did she name her Rebecca?_ ) was on the way?

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Well, for starters he was going to go find his daughter, before he did anything else, he had to make sure that she was okay.

oOOOOo

Gildarts had been starting to get anxious when he finally found her.

Master had given a few places to search- a few bars, a local library, and a music store called Griffith's (Cana was a musician, wonder what she played). But the brunette hadn't been anywhere.

He combed the entire town before he finally found her.

There was an old bridge on the outskirts of town, thing was practically in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest. It was a very good place to get away from everything for a little while. He had always gone there when he needed to cool off, and apparently that was something he and his daughter had in common.

She was curled up under one of the trees, tear tracks drying on her face, twigs in her hair. There was always a romantic notion that people looked younger in their sleep, but Cana looked every bit as troubled as she had when she had run out of the guild.

Gildarts gently shook her shoulder, sitting back as she slowly woke up.

She looked like a deer in the headlights- scared and vulnerable.

He took this as his opportunity to say his piece," Cana… I don't know what to say. I wish I had some big speech or something that might make this better, but…" He furiously rubbed at his face for a moment before continuing," Master let me see your birth certificate, your mom… out of all the women I've been with Cornelia was the only one I ever loved. Cana- I don't know much about being a dad, but if it's okay with you I would like the chance to be yours."

For a moment all was silent, then Cana spoke up in a tiny voice.

"…can I hug you?"

"Of-Of course you can- "He'd barely gotten that out before he suddenly had a distressed teenager in his lap, wrapping her arms around him in a vice grip. He reeled for a second before wrapping his own arms around her, holding his baby for the very first time.

There was a lot they needed to talk about, but all of that could wait.

This was more important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first reveal where the fact she already knew didn't come up, but I figured that it wasn't necessary this time. Just a sweet moment where they hug it out and both of them get the support they need- the details could wait until later. My original drafts for this chapter had me trying to force this to be one of the funnier reveals, but this was the direction that just felt the most natural.
> 
> Also, in case anyone is curious- Cana was kind of aware that she blew stuff up when she was really out of it. She knew she did it at least once, but she tried to avoid getting overly tired so that it didn't happen again. She just figured the one time that she was aware it happened was a one and done type of thing.


	44. Covergirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of all the ways to find out that he had a daughter, an article in a magazine that featured said daughter's topless picture on the cover, while certainly not the worst way he could have found out, was far from the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Partial nudity and half-naked pictures
> 
> I went a little heavy playing up Cana's abilities and took a few liberties with how Card Magic works, what it can and can't do, and there is a not so subtle mention of the sexy lady card.

Sorcerer Weekly was the magazine of choice for most people in Fiore, that doled out secrets on new and old forms of magic and featured the upcoming young talents from the many guilds the country had to offer. However, a lot of people tended to grab the magazine for less than educational reasons.

As a rule, Gildarts tried not to eavesdrop- not because of moral reasons, but because there were some things he really did not want to know about his guildmates private lives (too many things not even time could remove from his memory). However, sometimes he couldn't help but overhear things, especially when his guild was mentioned in the streets.

"Dude did you see that Fairy Tail girl in this weeks issue? She's smoking hot!" Some man with stringy blond hair crowed to the brunet male standing next to him.

"What are you talking about? Yeah, she's hot, but she's in almost every issue- I mean I don't mind, but why are you so excited?"

The blond shook his head," No man it's not that Mira chick." He said before thrusting a copy of the magazine into the other man's face, who stopped and stared at the cover in stupid shock.

"…whoa."

His friend nodded sagely," I know."

"…I thought that there was some kind of rule about how exposed- "

"Read the article- she specifically requested this."

If that didn't spark his curiosity the Ace wasn't sure what would. So, first chance he got he stopped off at the nearest stand to pick up a copy of the magazine. And once he saw the cover, he was stunned speechless for a few moments.

When he thought of Cana, he tended to think of the shy little thing who didn't like attention, but this picture… damn she had really grown up.

She was splayed on the glossy cover completely topless, both hands covering her breasts and a wide grin on her face. The headline promised a spread on Fairy Tail's Card Mage, along with an exclusive interview.

Well, if he was only vaguely interested before, he was very interested now.

Flipping it to the correct page, he was met with yet another picture of Cana- this one fully clothed- and began to read the article.

_World renowned Card Mage, feminist, musician, dancer, and the Heaviest Drinker in Fairy Tail- Cana Alberona is many things. Born Rebecca Arcana Alberona, this stunning beauty was raised by a single mother in the small town of Sugarhill. After her mother's passing, she eventually wound up joining the Fairy Tail guild at the tender age of six._

_Since then she has blossomed._

_Card Magic used to simply be parlor tricks and fortune telling- but this Fairy has single-handedly revolutionized the field. Cana designs all of her cards by hand, claiming that this gives her a better understanding of the capabilities of each one in her arsenal- and how to create new techniques. Her exciting innovations are unlike anything even experienced users ever dreamed could be possible: her most exciting creation? Fully-formed, tangible projections that bring the art of her deck to life as beings that can interact with the world around them._

_'It actually started out as a joke.' She admitted in her interview,' I saw a couple of my guildmates going nuts over a pin-up magazine and I thought it would be hilarious if I made a card that could summon a bikini girl and used it in a spar. It wan't until I took a step back and really looked at what I'd made that I realized exactly what I'd just pulled off.'_

_In addition to her incredible magical feats, she is also a noted feminist, even insisting on the cover photo to make a statement: my body, my choice. 'It is my body and I get to decide what I do with it. I don't dress the way I do for attention- I dress this way because it's comfortable for me.' When asked about how people will interpret her cover photo, she simply stated, 'I know some people are going to doubt me because of it. They will ask how serious about feminism I could possibly be if I'm so eager to show off my breasts- but you know what? I don't care. My boobs have absolutely nothing to do with anything- feminism is about equality and I don't see what my tits have to do with this.'_

_Cana is also planning to enter the drinking competition at the upcoming Food and Wine festival in Crocus; despite her delicate appearance this beauty can out drink even the most seasoned alcoholics. And has already stated that if she wins, she will be donating the prize money to a local music store called Griffith's as thanks for all they have done to help her nurture her talents._

_Yes, you read that correctly: on top of all she already does, the brunette is also a talented musician and dancer. Playing six instruments (piano, violin, trumpet, harp, flute, and saxophone) and dancing in four styles (ballet, hip hop, ballroom, and alternative), when asked about this all she did was laugh and say: ' My mother taught me to play the piano almost as soon as I could walk- when I got to Magnolia Master saw my talent and took me to the store for the first time so I could keep on learning, and once I got proficient at the piano I guess I just wanted a new challenge, so I grabbed a flute and everything spiraled from there. Same thing with the dancing- I owe Griffith's so much, sometimes I go there and just play the store models for hours- then I change and dance the rest of the night.'_

_This magnificent young woman has certainly come far from her humble beginnings- I'm sure if Cornelia Alberona could see how far her daughter has come in her short sixteen years of life, she would be every bit as proud of her as her guild is. Keep up the good work Cana!_

He couldn't breathe.

Gildarts just kept on reading and re-reading the article, with the details leaping out and sending his already swimming thoughts into an even more incredible mess.

' _Born Rebecca Arcana Alberona-'_

' _-raised by a single mother in Sugarhill-'_

' _Cornelia Alberona'_

' _sixteen'_

This… there was no way all of this was a coincidence.

oOOOOo

He was a father.

That still sounded so weird. Him a father.

But it was true.

He had an incredible daughter- a feminist, an advocate, a musician, a powerhouse in her own right. And the most he knew about her came from an article in a magazine.

Why had her mother named her 'Rebecca'?

After everything that had happened and all the horrible things that had been said, why had Cornelia given their daughter the name he had wanted?

Guess he'd never know.

What about Cana- did she even know anything about him? Had Conny ever told her anything about her father or had she just not said anything? How different would things have been if Cana knew the truth when she wound up at the guild?

But he couldn't focus on what might have been or what if's- he had to figure out some way to fix all of this and maybe she would be willing to let him into her life.

oOOOOo

Okay- the first thing he should have done upon making it back to Magnolia should have been to track down his daughter and hug the stuffing out of her and tell her the truth, but what he actually did…

Well he had just found out that he was a father! You can't blame him for being protective!

It was just one bar fight! And two street brawls… and those guys he punched for crowing about her obviously being an 'easy lay' with 'gorgeous tits'…

Alright maybe he went a bit overboard but the day he let someone talk about one of his guildmates like that (or any woman in general really), much less his _daughter_ was a cold day in hell.

Sooo, now he was in Master's office feeling like a disobedient kid about to be lectured by the principal.

The older man's eyebrow twitched," Now- I feel I should thank you for standing up for Cana but there were better ways to handle- "

"Did you know?" The red head blurted out- Master had to fill out all kinds of paperwork in order to get permission for Cana to stay when she first showed up, had he known who she was to him the whole time?

The old man blinked thrown slightly, before asking in confusion," Know what?"

"Master…" For a moment he couldn't figure out to articulate something this important, but finally managed," Cana's mother was Cornelia Alberona."

It took a moment for Makarov to realize exactly what the Crash Mage was implying," Wait are you saying- "

Gildarts nodded," Between her full name, Conny, and her age… well just in case I checked the records office and- "He rubbed harshly at his face, not bothering to continue.

"Gildarts…" The minuscule man said, staring at the Ace," If you think I would have kept this from you then you obviously don't know me as well as I thought you did- I take it you haven't told Cana yet?"

He silently shook his head.

"…You know she mentioned this morning that she just got a new pair of dance shoes. She's probably at Griffith's right now."

The Crash Mage blinked, before remembering that the article praised her abilities as a dancer and musician. The older man gave him a soft look.

"Gildarts- go get her. She deserves to know."

Go get her. That sounded like a good idea.

oOOOOo

Griffith's was a low building with wide glass windows that exposed the inside of the shop.

Gildarts was more than a little nervous- this could go so many ways.

Maybe she'd take it well, maybe she'd be more than happy to let him into her life- maybe she'd even call him 'dad'. But she could also take this badly- she might be angry that he was only coming around now, her life already seemed packed with incredible things, there might not be room for him.

Still she deserved to know- it was her life and if she whether she wanted him in it or not was entirely her decision.

A little bell above the door chimed as he stepped in, as he looked around, he couldn't spot the dark-haired girl.

"Can I help you sir?" A pink-haired young woman asked.

"Oh- I'm looking for Cana, Master sent me." He said, getting a little uncomfortable when the woman leveled him with an icy stare.

"That poor girl has been getting harassed all day- do you have proof that you are in Fairy Tail?" She asked coldly, only letting up when the Ace revealed his guildmark.

"I'll go get her- you can wait out here."

A few minutes later the girl of the hour appeared, wearing a skintight leotard and grey leg warmers over white tights. She was every bit as stunning as her mother, and he couldn't fathom how he had never seen it before.

"Gildarts?" She said in surprise," What are you doing here?"

"Master told me where you were, I- uh, I saw the article." He said lamely, immediately getting a shift in attitude from the brunette, the girl now visibly annoyed.

"Let me guess- you're here to lecture me about how inappropriate my picture was?" Cana asked scathingly.

"No!" He said in alarm (did he like that his daughter let the whole world see her half-naked? No, of course not. But it was her body and she could do what she wanted with it, he didn't have to like it, but he did have to respect it) "It- this has to do with the article not the picture!"

She looked at him in bemusement "What about it?"

It took a moment before he remembered how to speak. "I- did you know your mother and I used to be married?"

She blinked, looking at him open astonishment," Seriously?"

He needlessly nodded," It- we divorced sixteen years ago and… well while we were married, we talked about names we liked if we ever had kids…"

"W-where are you going with this?" Cana asked shakily, this was it.

"I'm your father Cana."

Silence.

The brunette just stood there, staring at him with an unreadable look on her face.

Gildarts winced," I- I guess I'll just go- "Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself wrapped in a tight hug from the brunette.

"I already knew." Cana said quietly," I found out before Mom died and I came to Fairy Tail to find you. I tried to tell you who I was, but things just kept getting in the way."

This whole time. She knew the truth all these years… this could have been so different…

But there was a time for thinking about 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' and there was a time for just hugging your child to make sure she knew how loved she was. Everything else could wait until later, this took precedence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like it was time for Cana to initiate the hug (she hasn't done that since the early chapters). Since we don't see anyone else use card magic throughout the series (as far as I could tell at any rate), I figured no one would mind if I took a few liberties with to kind of play up her skills. Just to make it showy enough for a magazine article. Also I thought it would be hilarious to have his reaction to a half-naked picture of his daughter and trying to power through his own instincts that say 'put a shirt on young lady' in order to respect her decision over her own body. Cana completely reads as a feminist to me and I could completely see her doing something like this in order to make a statement.


	45. Loophole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cana confides her deepest secret in Gray, the Ice Wizard agrees to her request to not say anything. But writing it down technically wasn't saying anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two are best friend goals and I hate that their relationship doesn't get explored more.

There was something going on with Gray.

He was good at hiding it, well- good at hiding it from everyone else. Fooling her was a different story. He'd never been able to hide anything from her.

Now the question: to pry or not to pry?

On one hand, she kind of wanted to know, on the other it was his business and he might not like her poking her nose into it.

Still… Cana would honestly say that Gray was the person she was closest to in the guild, maybe even like a brother to her, and what kind of friend would she be if she didn't try to make sure that he was okay?

"So, do you want to tell me what's been bothering you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the ice wizard seated across from her.

Gray started slightly, giving her a wide-eyed look," I don't know what- "

"Don't give me that bullshit." Cana said dryly, giving him an unimpressed look." Something's been bugging you the last few days- you might be able to hide it from everyone else, but not from me." She softened slightly," Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if you want to talk, I'm here to listen."

The Ice Make wizard looked at her with wide eyes but didn't comment.

Fair enough, he knew she was there now- might as well make him useful in the mean time.

The brunette plopped her bag on the table and pulled out her new pointe shoes, shoving one over to Gray's side of the table. "Go bang that against the wall." She said nonchalantly, searching through her bag for the sewing kit.

Gray blinked at her like a lost puppy," You want me to what?" He asked in pure confusion, holding the dance shoe like it was some strange alien thing he couldn't make heads or tails of.

"Bang the shoe against the wall." Cana repeated slowly, as if she was talking to a child.

"Uh- you really want me- "

"Gray just bang the shoe against the wall a few times!" Cana said in exasperation," I don't know how to be any clearer than that."

Still hesitant, the black-haired boy got up and half-heartedly banged the satin shoe against the wall.

"Not like that- do it like you mean it!" The brunette said, rolling her eyes at her friend.

Gray banged the shoe a little harder that time.

The card mage sighed," Pretend the shoe is Natsu."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Brunette stifled a laugh and nodded approvingly," That should be good, thanks."

The ice wizard passed the shoe back, watching as Cana scrutinized it heavily," Why did you want me to do that?" He asked curiously.

The brunette shrugged as she began to thread a curved needle," New shoes need to be adjusted before you can wear them. Everybody has their own way to break them in. Mine is bang 'em against the wall a few times to break the box, put a few stitches around the toe for better grip, and to sew the ribbon to the back of the shoe."

He blinked in surprise. He'd known that Cana was a dancer, but he would have just assumed that you broke them in like any other shoe. Learn something new every day.

"…do you need me to bang the other one?"

The brunette gave him a knowing look. "Cathartic, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is." He admitted sheepishly.

She passed him the other shoe, smirking when he eagerly slammed it against the wall.

The next few minutes were spent in comfortable silence, Cana fixing her shoes and Gray staring into space. Then Gray decided to break it.

"Cana?"

"Hm?"

"…I don't know when I'll be ready, but… but you'll be the first person I tell when I am."

The Card Mage gave her friend a small smile," Take your time." She said easily," But when you're ready to talk I'll be here."

oOOOOo

A few weeks later, Cana had been preparing to head home for the night when Gray caught her by the arm.

"Cana…" He swallowed nervously," Cana… I'm ready to talk now."

The brunette looked at him, her mind instantly flashing back to the conversation, before giving her friend a smile," Do you want to talk here, or do you want to go somewhere else?"

"… somewhere else."

She nodded, took him by the hand and lead him out of the guildhall.

Twenty minutes later and they were at one of her favorite spots outside of town. A small wooded area near an old bridge.

She sat the two of them down under a tree and waited for Gray to start.

It took a few moments before he began.

He told her about the destruction of his village by the demon Deliora. How he had been taken in by his Master, Ur, and how she had taught him Ice-Make Magic with Lyon. He talked about how despite Ur never trying to replace his mom he came to see her as one anyway. He talked about the life he had as Ur's student, how he picked up his bad habit, and then how everything had fallen to pieces. How, upon hearing Deliora's whereabouts he had gone against Ur and tried to take down the demon himself, and how his actions resulting in Ur sacrificing herself to trap Deliora with Iced Shell. He told her that he had come to the guild trying to find a way to free her but had come up empty.

Cana remained silent until he had finished, squeezing his hand whenever he became so emotional, he fumbled over his words.

When all was said and done, she sat back and thought about her response.

"Part of me wants to lie to you, tell you that you are carrying around this guilt for nothing. That it wasn't your fault, but Gray- I respect you too much to lie to you," The brunette said seriously," The truth is you're right: if you hadn't gone after Deliora then she never would have died. But if you hadn't gone after it, if she hadn't sacrificed herself… well a whole lot more people would be dead. Ur saved so many people by sacrificing herself, but I think we both know that's not why she did it." Cana squeezed her friends' hand and gave him a smile as she gently said," Gray- Ur sacrificed herself because she loved you and because she loved Lyon. She sacrificed herself because she didn't want Deliora to hurt either of you. I understand your guilt, and while I will never say it isn't justified guilt, I do think you need to let go. She didn't die to make you feel guilty- she died so that you could live your best life, just because you let yourself heal doesn't mean that you'll forget about her."

For a moment all he did was stare at his friend in vulnerable confusion, then he snorted, giving out a shaky laugh before he gave her a watery grin," Since when have you been so wise?"

Cana gave him a playful shove," I've always been wise jerk- the idiots around me just choose not to listen!"

The two of them broke down laughing, leaning up against each other as they howled until their stomachs hurt from the force.

The Card Mage looked up at the crescent moon that was lighting the clearing, if she had to guess it was probably after midnight. Gray… he had really opened up to her and had told her his deepest darkest secret… it would only be fair if she did the same.

After all, she had promised herself that she wouldn't say anything to Gildarts unless she made S-Class, but that didn't mean she couldn't tell someone else.

"Hey Gray," She said quietly, continuing when he turned towards her," You… you were really open with me, I think it's only fair if I'm open with you."

The black-haired boy immediately said," You don't have to- "

But Cana cut him off," I know I don't have to, but I want to."

For a moment all was silent, until Gray gave her a small smile," If you want to talk, I will listen."

The brunette took a deep breathe for courage and then began," The reason I joined the guild was because I was trying to find my father. Before my mother died, she told me who he was and how to find him. I think she expected me to wait until I was in my teens to try and track him down, but I had no one else and nothing stopping me, so I grabbed my puppy and I started walking."

She swallowed," It took me a few weeks, but I eventually made it to Magnolia. I… I recognized my father as soon as I saw him… but he didn't recognize me. Not that I can blame him, I mean, he might not even remember my mom, why would he see a random kid and think for a second that they could be his kid. He was heading off on a job when I got here, so I hung around the guild until he got back. Master was nice enough to take me in- Laxus and I shared a room for a few months until I moved into the dorms. But… every time I tried to tell my father who I was… either something would happen, or I'd just freeze… he still doesn't know who I really am, and honestly… I don't know if he'd care even if he did." She whispered those last words, trying to talk past the lump in her throat.

"Cana…" Gray was at a loss for words," Cana… who is your father?"

The brunette flinched, tears slipping down from her eyes, before she finally said the words," His name is Gildarts."

Under any other circumstances, she would have laughed at the look on his face.

Would have laughed until she broke three ribs and needed to be sedated, because Gray looked like Natsu dressed in drag had come over and slapped him with a fish before declaring his undying love for trains.

Unfortunately, under these circumstances, all it got was a weak half chuckle.

The ice wizard quickly snapped out of it," Cana… I can't say I know too much about Gildarts, but… he'd care." He said softly," If he knew who you really are… well he'd be an absolute idiot if he didn't see just how lucky he is to have such an incredible kid."

She snorted," You're giving me too much credit."

He looked her up and down," Why haven't you told him?" Because Cana wasn't shy, and she never had a hard time saying whatever was on her mind.

"… He's Gildarts. Ace of the guild, strongest man alive, he's a hero, he's a leader… and I'm Cana. I'm the girl who drinks too much and fights with playing cards. I'm not smart or strong or pretty… fuck I'm not even good at being happy." She laughed at her self-deprecation, running a hand through her hair," I just- "

Gray cut her off," You're Cana," He said firmly," You're the girl who plays four instruments and never loses at chess. You're the girl who everyone looks to when they need advice, you're the one we rely on when we need someone to listen. You're the girl who is always there and is always willing to lend a hand. You're the girl who invented whole new techniques that people who've been using card magic for decades never believed was possible. You are an S-Class wizard in all but name. You give a hundred and ten percent into anything you try to do. Gildarts would have to be the biggest fucking idiot on the planet if he can't see all of that."

Cana stared in wide-eyed shock, tears silently streaming down her face as she stared at her best friend. Next thing she knew she was hugging the stuffing out of him.

She had such an amazing friend.

oOOOOo

Gray was on a mission.

Cana was his best friend, he'd even go so far as to call her his sister, and this damn secret was causing her pain.

He'd… he'd never realized just how low her self esteem was. She was always this wild presence, that blew through a room like a hurricane, improving everyone's mood as she did. She had always been there for him, for Lisanna, for Erza, for Natsu, for Mira- she was always there for everyone except herself.

Gildarts was her father.

That… that one still hadn't totally sunk in just yet.

That his best friend was the daughter of the man everyone looked up to, a man who could move mountains… he could see why that would be intimidating.

But he meant what he'd said- Gildarts would be a fool if he didn't see what an incredible person Cana was.

And, since Cana couldn't tell him then it would have to be his job. She would be S-Class one of these days, he was honestly surprised that she wasn't S-Class now, but he was ready and willing to do the job himself.

She was always there when he needed help, it was time for him to return the favor.

Yes, she had made him promise not to say anything, but that didn't mean he couldn't write it down and slide it under the crash mage's door.

oOOOOo

When Gildarts had woken up to find a letter had been slid under his door, his first thought had been that either some dark guild was trying to threaten him again or Natsu was trying a different tactic than usual to challenge him.

Then he'd opened it.

And his entire world turned on its axis.

He had accidently destroyed the floor of his house before he'd gotten his emotions back in check.

Then he was running full tilt towards the guildhall.

It was early enough that the guild hadn't even really been opened yet. The only person there being Master.

Judging from the way the old man had looked at him when he burst through the doors, he probably looked like he'd lost his marbles.

It had taken him a moment before he finally remembered how to speak," M-Master," He fumbled," I need to see Cana's file."

Cana. Who according to the note writer was his daughter.

He might have a daughter.

Makarov looked totally lost," What?"

"I need to see Cana's file." The Ace repeated.

"Gildarts I can't just hand out fi- "

The crash mage just shoved the now-crumpled letter toward the old man. And he could tell the moment Master read the words.

The miniature guildmaster looked between the Ace and the letter in dumb shock before uttering," W-wait here- I'll go get it."

It felt like hours before the old man was back a manila folder in one hand and a magic sealing cuff in the other.

"Put it on." He ordered, holding out the cuff to Gildarts," I won't have you destroying the guildhall."

The red-haired man hesitated for a moment before complying.

Then he just stared at the folder in front of him.

This little folder had the potential to change _everything_.

He flipped it open.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

The name on her birth certificate was Rebecca Arcana Alberona. He almost didn't even need to look any further than that, but he did.

Father: Gildarts Clive

Mother: Cornelia Alberona

Conny.

Conny was the mother of his daughter. His daughter who she had named Rebecca, the name she had hated so much. His daughter who now went by 'Cana'.

Cana.

Cana was his daughter, his baby.

They'd spoken maybe twice in all the years she'd been with the guild. He didn't know what she liked, he didn't know what she hated, he knew she used card magic, but was that all she used? He'd never really seen her hanging around with Natsu, did they even get along? How much did she know about all this, had she been the one to leave the note? Had it been her trying to tell him the truth? If it was, then why didn't she tell him in person?

The most important question of all: what the hell was he supposed to do now?

oOOOOo

Cana felt lighter than she had in a very long time.

Getting her secret off her chest… even though it wasn't Gildarts that she told, it was like breathing for the very first time. She ought to thank Gray for listening, maybe even share her booze with him!

…Okay maybe not something that drastic, but she'd think of something.

Plan for the day was go to the guildhall, eat her chocolate pancakes (eight o'clock on the dot!), catch up on gossip, then grab a job- easy breezy a pretty standard routine for her.

"Morning Cana!" Nab yelled when she entered the guildhall, the older man was standing by the request board as usual.

"Morning!" She yelled back with a smile, plopping down at the nearest table, but before she could request her chocolatey goodness, a familiar gruff voice spoke up behind her.

"Cana- a word in my office please." Master requested politely (cough*ordered*cough).

The brunette blinked down at the smaller man for a moment," Uh- sure? What's this about?" She asked curiously, grabbing her bag and following the miniature man up the stairs.

"It's important child." He implored, looking at her- wait. Was that _pity_?

Oh God- did someone die?!

Worse- did the guild run out of booze?!

Master stopped at the door to his office, gesturing at it with one hand," Go in child."

"Aren't you coming in Master?" Cana asked, something about this whole scenario was making her feel uneasy and she did not like it.

The old man once again gave her that pitying stare," All will be answered- but it isn't my place to say anything."

Well, that certainly sounded ominous.

The Card Mage finally decided to bite the bullet, and with some amount of trepidation, turned the knob and opened the door.

Only to see her old man on the other side.

What the fuck?

"G-good." Gildarts coughed to clear his throat before starting again," Good morning Cana."

"'Morning?" Cana said hesitantly," Is there something I can do for you Gildarts?"

The mountain of a man flinched slightly, opening and closing his mouth before he finally seemed to remember how to speak," Cana… I- something happened this morning and after talking with Master we decided that it was necessary to check your file- and um- I don't know how to tell you this-" He stuttered nervously, tripping over his words.

The brunette felt her blood run cold and her stomach sank. This couldn't be happening- there was no way.

"I- I'm your father Cana."

Silence.

It took a moment before she realized exactly what he'd just said and then she was trying and failing to think of something to say.

Apparently her expression said it all. Gildarts looked like she'd physically punched him in the gut, his expression cracking," So… you did know then."

It wasn't a question.

All she could do was nod.

"How… how long have you known?"

Cana swallowed," It's why I came to Magnolia in the first place." She admitted, oddly proud that there was only a faint waver in her voice.

Her father was obviously shocked," What?"

"Mama told me who you were before she died and there was nobody else that tied me to Sugarhill, so I packed a bag and walked here. I- I've tried to tell you so many times…but I guess things just kept getting in the way."

The Ace was just staring out at her, she couldn't place his expression for the life of her. The brunette decided she should at least try to reassure him before she tried to bolt," You don't have to worry Gildarts." She said in feigned cheer and forced a smile on her face as she tried to reassure her old man," It's not like I'll be moving in or anything- nothing has to change. We can keep leading our separate lives- I mean I'm almost an adult so you don't have to worry about taking responsibility or anything- "

"How can you say that?" He demanded abruptly, snapping Cana out of her zone. She was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about, when she was suddenly pulled into a bear hug.

"Cana- everything is different now." Gildarts whispered into her hair as he pressed her head over his heart," I can't just forget that you're my child- that I have such a beautiful, amazing daughter who has been right in front of me this whole time. I've missed your entire life- I'll be damned if I miss another minute. I don't care if it's on a job or hitting up the bars- we'll always be together."

"I'm not so sure you could keep up with me," Cana said with a hysterical giggle as tears began to run down her face.

Gildarts tightened his hold on her (this was his baby, he was holding his baby)," Cana." He choked out." Please let me have the right to love you!"

"I don't need to give you what you already have."

That seemed to be the final straw. Gildarts bawled like a toddler, scooping her up to hold her like _she_ was the baby. He cradled her gently to his chest. "I promise to be the most loving father anyone's ever seen sweetheart."

The brunette giggled slightly leaning into her father's embrace.

A loud growl interrupted the moment, Cana flushing bright pink when she realized it was her stomach.

Gildarts let out a booming laugh that made the whole room vibrate," I guess my first job is to get my little princess something to eat- can't have my baby starving on my watch."

His baby… it felt so good to hear him call her that. Maybe he'd let her return the favor.

"Can-can I call you 'dad'?"

He froze for a second before he was tightening the hold he had let relax," Of course you can sweetheart- you can even call me 'daddy' if you want to!" He said hopefully.

"… how about we save that one for special occasions." She offered as a compromise, thankfully Gildarts didn't seem too put out.

"Whatever you're comfortable with sweetie."

A few minutes later the two of them were eating breakfast at the bar, and Cana finally realized that there was still a question she needed an answer to.

"Dad," boy did it feel incredible to finally be able to call him that," How did you find out- I mean you said something happened- "

Gildarts swung around to look at her and felt his own confusion run through him," Someone pushed a note under my door- I thought it was you."

"A note?" Cana asked in confusion, before it clicked in her brain.

_Please don't say anything._

_Please don't_ _**say** _ _anything._

Oh Gray, you wonderful idiot.

Cana pushed herself off the seat," Give me a second- there's something I need to do really quick."

She was out the door before her father could even say a word.

oOOOOo

Gray was used to being woken up in strange circumstances.

It was just a side effect of being in Fairy Tail- something was always going on and sometimes that lead to people banging on his door at all hours of the day and night.

"I'm coming!" He yelled needlessly as whoever it was continued banging on his door.

It took a moment before he was finally decent enough to open the door and blinked when he was almost knocked over by the force of a sudden bear hug.

Reeling, it took a moment before he registered the dark brown hair of his best friend.

Cana looked up at his bewildered face and hugged tighter," Thanks for finding a loophole Gray."

Oh.

Gray immediately schooled his face," I have no idea what you're talking about."

His surrogate sister laughed," Of course you don't, but- thanks bro."

"You're welcome sis."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I love the dynamic between those two so damn much and I wish that we go to see more of it in the series- there is a lot I wish we got to see more of in the series. I came up with this idea when I was trying to fall asleep- of Gray deciding to confide in Cana and then she decided to return the favor; I became attached to the concept of him following her request to the letter, but being more than happy to exploit a loophole to help his best friend out.
> 
> Also I have been binging on FMAB the last week or so and I found out something: Cana's English voice actor also voices the character Rebecca Catalina in FMAB! They are actually really similar in personality and look kind of similar (if you squint a bit). Now I'm just kind of wondering if that's where I picked 'Rebecca' from and just didn't consciously realize it.


	46. Hindsight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts decided to pass the lost little girl off to her neighbor and only years later does he realize just how close he had been to knowing the truth. Hindsight is such a bitter pill to swallow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the alternate version of 'Coincidence', this is pretty sad guys. I really tried, but I just couldn't find a way to make this end happy. LJF, thank you for all the support and hope you like this!

He always loved the air that festivals had.

Just the sense of boundless joy and childlike excitement as everyone marveled at the beautiful colors of decorations and the smell of special treats in the air. Kids cheering as they ran from game to game as the adults watched happily.

Gildarts had been heading home after a long job when he'd heard the music and decided to investigate, turned out it was some kind of local holiday and the town had pulled out all the stops. He'd decided taking a few hours to enjoy the atmosphere wouldn't hurt anybody.

Later, when he was happily snacking on some of the goodies from the food booths, a tiny form collided with his leg. Startled a bit, he looked down to see the most adorable little girl he had ever seen. With tiny little chocolate curls and a pair of wide purple eyes that seemed to take up her entire face (and temporarily gave him a sense of déjà vu- he'd seen those eyes before, but where?), and a wide smile that showed of the few teeth she had.

"Big!" She cooed, looking up at him in awe.

He couldn't help himself," Small." He replied nodding sagely at the little girl who burst into giggles.

Such a sweet little thing- where were her parents?

"Big." A tiny hand tugged on his pant leg. "Up!" She demanded holding out her arms to match her request.

Gildarts hesitated for a moment, looking around to see if he could spot anyone looking for her, before complying with her request and scooping the little girl up. He smiled as she squealed, her head roving around as she took how different everything looked from her new vantage point.

"Well, I think we should go find your Mommy and Daddy little one." He said to the tiny girl who nodded happily," Mama!" She squealed in agreement.

Were all kids this cute and he had just never noticed?

It took a few minutes of visually searching before he decided to ask one of the local vendors. The sweet old lady who ran a stand selling dumplings took one look at the girl in his arms before she cooed," Did you run away from your Mama again Cana?"

The little girl blew a spit bubble as a relieved Gildarts started to talk," She walked right up to me- do you know where I can find her parents?"

The old woman laughed," The little miss only has her mother, and since she started to walk a week or so ago her poor Mama can't take her eyes off of her for a second. The poor woman is probably wandering around worried sick- if you want to leave her with me, I can make sure she gets home safely." She offered.

The Ace hesitated for a second before nodding," That sounds like a good idea, it's time for me to be heading home anyway." He agreed, turning to the tiny girl," Looks like its time to say goodbye Miss Cana- it was nice meeting you." And easily passed the baby over.

Little Cana looked from the crash mage to the old woman and back again, before reaching out to him.

His heart melted," Sorry little one." He apologized to the now distressed-looking toddler," You need to be getting back to your Mama- I had a nice time with you."

The poor thing's wide violet eyes began to fill with tears, tugging at his heartstrings, but he really did have to go. As he walked away, he heard little Miss Cana start wailing and the frantic attempts of the old woman to soothe her.

She really was a sweet little thing, but there was no point in letting himself get attached- he'd probably never see her again.

Still, hope she made it back to mother alright.

oOOOOo

Cornelia was strongly considering the pros and cons of baby leashes.

On one hand, those leads weren't very long and it probably wouldn't take Rebecca very long to figure out how to get out of it (her little girl was unfortunately very smart when it came to finding ways to cause trouble), on the other she would no longer be subjected to the abject terror these little disappearing acts caused her.

"Miss Cornelia! Miss Cornelia wait!"

The frantic mother turned to see Old Neema's grandson Tagio, running after her, the boy skidded to a stop and after a second to catch his breath blurted out," Granny found Cana!"

And relief washed over her," Is she okay?'

"She's fine- well I mean she's crying a lot but she's okay- Granny's got her at the stand!"

Cornelia gave the boy a fierce hug and started running back toward the area of the festival reserved for food stalls. She heard Rebecca before she saw her.

There was something to the design of a baby's cry (actually this was more of a scream) that made it carry for absurd distances, and since becoming a mother she had realized that she actually _could_ tell what she wanted based on the sound of her cry. This particular scream was Rebecca's _'I'm not happy and all of you will suffer with me until I get what I want'_.

"Rebecca!" She yelled, as she finally made it to the dumpling stand, where Old Neema was attempting to soothe her unhappy baby.

The old women almost immediately passed the baby into her mother's arms, which thankfully _did_ make her calm down somewhat.

Cornelia clutched her baby to her chest. It was okay, she had her, everything was fine. And she would be getting a backpack leash.

"Thank you Neema." She said fervently, to which the old woman shook her head.

"Oh, you shouldn't be thanking me- a nice young man found her and was trying to figure out how to get her back to you." Neema said kindly.

"Do you know where I can find him?" The brunette asked, bouncing her now hiccupping baby," I'd like to thank him."

The old woman shook her head," He said he had to be going, this little fit was a result of him leaving. Poor thing seemed quite attached."

"Oh, well thank you anyway Neema." The young mother said gratefully," Now, I think I'm going to little miss home- she's had enough excitement for one day."

Neema laughed," Anytime- and if you ever need a break come and see me, the little darling is always welcome." She said fondly.

Cornelia smiled," I will."

And then she began the walk home, Rebecca falling asleep in her arms during the walk.

It was a shame the man hadn't stuck around; she really would have liked to thank him.

oOOOOo

He had a daughter.

That thought still sounded weird, but it was true.

He had a magnificent, intelligent, capable, beautiful daughter named Cana and he already loved her more than he had ever thought was possible.

Gildarts was still reeling from the revelation that he and his wife had made such an incredible creature, and from the fact that he had been ignorant to her identity for so many years.

Yeah, that last was the killer.

Cana had come to the guild as a child because she wanted to find him, had watched all these years as her daddy had been a father to all of the other children except for her. Had swallowed all the hurt and pretended like she was fine. If their positions had been reversed, he probably would have broken down a long time ago, would have told him to shove off but she hadn't. Despite everything he had put her through, Cana had given him the right to love her and that was the most incredible thing he had ever received.

He was doing his best to prove that her trust in him was warranted, but… well there was a little bit of a learning curve…

"But-but- _sweetie_ ," He said wailed helplessly, only to be viciously crushed by his darling princess.

"For the last time- no fucking way." Cana snarled," I like my place and will not be moving."

"But- "

"No buts!" She snapped, before letting out a sigh and visibly forcing herself to calm down," Look- I know that you're trying, but I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decisions."

Gildarts felt himself wilt and nodded glumly. All he wanted for them to live together- he could add onto his house and everything! The Ace decided to make his case," Cana…" he trailed off helplessly, lost for a moment as he tried to find the words," I've missed your entire life and I know that nothing I ever do can change that, but… I want you to always know that there's a place for you there if you ever want it."

The brunette visibly softened and gave him a small smile," Thanks Dad." She said sincerely, deciding to throw him a bone and pulled him in for a quick hug… and instantly regretted it.

"YOU OLD GEEZER-LET GO!" She snarled, pushing at her father trying to get him to release his vice-grip.

"But-but Daddy doesn't want to let you go Princess!"

"TOUGH!"

After a few minutes of futile struggling, Cana decided to try bargaining," Put me down and you get some of my baby pictures."

In the time it took her to blink she had been set back down on the floor.

"What's this about pictures?" Gildarts asked eagerly.

The violet-eyed girl was stunned for a moment before shaking her astonishment off," I was cleaning out my closet and I found a box of mom's old stuff- there are a couple pictures in there." She explained, leaving out that it was actually more like a whole _album_ of pictures as opposed to the five or six he would be getting. Knowing him he would be showing them off to the entire guild- this way she could control what everyone saw at least.

"Lead the way Sweetie!" The Ace said cheerfully, happily following his annoyed daughter like a baby duck back to Fairy Hills.

"Wait here." Cana said before grabbing her keys and entering the building. Gildarts waited patiently… for about two minutes. Then his mind began conjuring scenario after scenario of what could possibly be keeping her so long: falling down the stairs, stubbing her toe, one of the other girls starting a fight, maybe even…

The crash mage's mood brightened instantaneously when Cana came back out, several small shapes that were likely the promised photos in her hand.

"Here you go- all seven as promised." She said easily, handing over the pictures.

Seven pictures. Seven wonderful glorious photographs of his darling little girl back when she was still little.

Oh, she definitely would have been-

He froze.

His thoughts stopped moving, his heart stopped beating, and he was utterly and completely still.

A long-forgotten memory tugged violently to the forefront of his shocked brain.

" _Looks like it's time to say goodbye Miss Cana- "_

 _The distressed baby reaching out for him, visibly getting more agitated when he wouldn't take her, him_ _**walking away** _ _when she started crying…_

"Dad? Dad are you okay?!" The voice of his grown-up baby pulled him back to the present. Her violet eyes (just as expressive as they had been then) wide with concern and alarm.

"I-I- "He then gave up trying to formulate a proper sentence," I- no."

Gildarts dropped to the ground, sitting with his head in his hands as he tried to find some kind of clarity.

"Are you having a heart attack?" Cana asked incredulously, squatting down and trying to reach through whatever was going through her old man's head.

The red head looked up and met his beautiful child's eyes," I was so close."

Even more alarmed, Cana continued trying to get through to him," What are you talking about?" She demanded, getting even more confused when he pointed to the picture on top of the small pile.

It was of her when she was probably one or two years old, standing in front of a small dumpling stand (she vaguely placed it as the one Granny Neema always had until she finally had to quit) at a festival. It wasn't that remarkable, what the hell caused this reaction?

"I was on my way back to the guild," He said dully, clearly a thousand miles away," There was a little town holding a festival, I decided to stop for a little while. A little girl walked right up to me- she'd run away from her mother… a lady that ran a food stall recognized her… said she'd make sure she got back to her mom…"

"Um… nice?" Cana said uneasily and was a little taken aback by the intensity in her father's eyes.

"Cana…" Gildarts whispered helplessly," That little girl was you."

It took a second for the brunette to realize exactly what her father had just said.

"…what?"

"You walked right up to me… and when I handed you over you started crying when I wouldn't take you back and I walked away… I walked away…" Gildarts couldn't stop thinking about that last bit, he had _walked away_ after unknowingly handing his baby over to some woman he didn't even know, had _walked away_ when Cana had kept insisting he take her back, had _walked away_ when she started crying…

He could have stayed. If he had stayed, if he had tried to bring the lost little girl back to her mother… he had been _so close_ …

How different could things have been, if he had decided to go find a lost toddler's mother himself?

Would Conny have been happy to see him? Or would she have been upset that he had been holding their little girl, been mad that he found out.

He had been _so close_ to being in Cana's life… and he walked away.

He could have been there. He could have tucked her into bed at night. He could have been there for every birthday, every holiday, every special occasion. He could have had a front row seat as she became the magnificent woman she was today.

But he had walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legitimately started tearing up when I was writing this, I really tried to make at least a semi happy ending but I just couldn't do it. As per my usual rules, to make up for a depressing chapter I upload double- so expect one tomorrow. Also- I have a Halloween special coming up, it came out pretty cute!


	47. First Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana is reaching the age where most babies start saying their first words- naturally this has become a competition of sorts, with everyone trying to coach her to say their name first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an idea for this, and I've decided to turn this into its own little series within this fic. In the world of Blessed Man, all the little moments of Gildarts and Cornelia watching Cana grow and the whole guild being a wonderfully insane extended family. All of the Firsts that they experience in Cana's life.

"Come on Cana: Lax-us"

"Ba-b-baa."

"Lax-us"

"Ga-b-b-a."

"Lax-us"

"L-l-la-la-"

Laxus eagerly leaned forward," That's it Cana- come on! You can do it!"

"…ba."

The six-year-old face faulted as the infant squealed happily.

"Still trying to coach her to say your name?" An amused Gildarts asked, making the six-year-old blush bright red.

Laxus refused to make eye contact with the crash mage and did his best to defend himself," I just wanna hear her say it. Everybody's been trying to get her to say stuff too."

The Ace let out a loud laugh and ruffled the blond's hair," I didn't say I minded- I think it's sweet you like her so much." He admitted before scooping up his baby, who out another excited squeal.

"And how have you been today princess?" He cooed, kissing the baby's cheek," Let's say goodbye to Laxus now- can you say bye-bye?"

Cana babbled happily, but still refused to speak.

It had been an ongoing thing the last few weeks.

The wizards of Fairy Tail were competitive by nature and everyone wanted to be the person who got baby Cana to say her first word. Her parents were not excluded from this, both Gildarts and Cornelia trying to get her to say 'da-da' and 'ma-ma' respectively.

But despite best efforts the baby simply wouldn't talk.

Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Gildarts can you come here for a moment?" The miniature guildmaster called from his seat at the bar.

"Sure!"

The Ace obediently walked over to the bar, lightly bouncing his daughter in his arms," What's up Master?"

"I wanted to talk to you about this year's Grand Magic Games- will you be participating or are you sitting out this year?" Makarov asked.

Gildarts shrugged," Haven't got a clue- I mean it's not like Fairy Tail really needs the edge, but it might be nice to take Conny and Cana to Crocus."

"And of course, you wouldn't mind showing off for your wife and daughter." Makarov said dryly getting a sheepish smile from the redhead.

"Yeah, can't deny that would be a nice bonus to competing this year, but we still have to remind everyone why Fairy Tail is the best guild!" He said with a laugh.

"Faiwy."

The entire room froze, conversation dying as all heads turned to look at the baby who was fascinated by her little hand.

"Wait- did she just-?!"

"Faiwy." Cana repeated, completely unaware of just how much she was blowing everyone's mind.

Makarov cleared his throat slightly," Cana," He said getting the baby's attention," Can you say 'Fairy Tail'?"

"Faiwy Tail." The infant parroted.

The whole room rioted.

"She spoke!"

"GOOD GIRL CANA!"

"She said 'Fairy Tail'!"

"What do you know- she's a natural already!"

"Such a smart little girl- already knows the best guild!"

Gildarts was grinning ear to ear and tossed Cana up in the air," My brilliant little girl!" He cheered and gave her a sloppy kiss which got a peal of giggles from his perfect little angel." Let's go find Mommy sweetheart! We have to show her what a genius you are!"

The infant let out another squeal.

The Ace nuzzled her tiny cheek," Now can you say 'da-da'?"

"Faiwy Tail."

Everybody laughed at the indignant look on Gildarts face as he carried his baby out the door.

"Da-da."

"Faiwy Tail."

He could only hold the pout on his face for a few seconds before he was grinning ear to ear again. He couldn't possibly be upset when he had such a brilliant little girl.

Even if she refused to say da-da.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's safe to say everybody won!


	48. Some Assembly Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no recipe for an instant family. It takes time and communication on both sides, unfortunately Cana and Gildarts learn this the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mention of underage sex (only mentioned and nothing at all graphic)
> 
> Gildarts is trying his best guys. That's something I want you guys to keep in mind. He loves Cana so much and just goes about trying to parent her in the wrong way.

In theory it was simple: father and daughter hug it out, daughter moves in, and then they live happily ever after as the family they should have been from the start.

In hindsight they should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy.

The move-in-together part was relatively simple. One week of renovations and Cana now had her own bedroom in her father's house, with a small bathroom the two of them shared. The live-happily-ever-after-as-a-family part… well it was a work in progress.

They were both strong minded people with limited experience in sharing their lives with another person. Gildarts was trying to figure out how to makeup for all the years he missed, while Cana was trying to figure out how to handle the affection that she had always craved and how to accept a parent in her life after so many years of being on her own.

It was going about as well as could be expected.

oOOOOo

' _Setting boundaries with your teen is vital to family success. Too little freedom and your child may act out in dangerous and destructive ways, but too much freedom may be just as bad.'_

Gildarts wished that these stupid books had actual advice- like a nice little checklist that covered 'too much' and 'too little', was that so much to ask for?

Cana was a beautiful, intelligent, and talented girl with a good head on her shoulders. She was a good girl and all Gildarts wanted was to keep her that way. He was pretty much making up his parenting strategies as he went and doing his best not to screw her up.

It hadn't taken him very long to realize that he liked to have his little girl in his line of sight at all times, preferably right next to him. His princess didn't like that too much, but grudgingly put up with it. He didn't like her taking jobs at all (he was the parent- it was his job to provide for her dammit!), but she had eventually gotten him to agree to day jobs within an hour of the city max- no overnights and no combative missions.

Reasonable enough, right?

He had also been taking shorter jobs in order to spend as much time with her as he could and had put his foot down when she had suggested that he could take her with him. His jobs were dangerous, and his little princess was delicate: he'd be damned if he ever put her in harm's way.

Yet… he was fully aware that when he was gone it was a 'cats away, mice play' situation.

Case and point- he comes back from his most recent job to find his daughter walking around the guildhall half naked.

"Lay off you old geezer!" Cana snarled trying to shove her old man off of her.

"Not until you cover up!" Gildarts snapped right back, finally succeeding in shoving his shirt over her head." Dressing like that is in no way appropriate!"

The brunette pulled back her lips to show her teeth as she futilely tried to pull the shirt off of her," Well maybe it's comfortable for me!"

"Doesn't matter." The Ace said firmly, taking his daughter's glare without flinching." You want to dress like that at home- fine. But I see you out like this again and there will be consequences."

Cana let out a wordless shriek and stormed out of the guildhall. Gildarts let out a deep sigh as he watched her go, all the fight draining out of him.

Turning around, he realized that the attention of the entire guild hall was fixed on him.

"Shows over folks." The Ace snapped in irritation, satisfied when everyone at least pretended to go back to their original conversations.

The crash mage sank onto a barstool and just held his head in his hands for a moment. That definitely could've gone better.

"So, I take it parenting is turning out to be a little more difficult than you thought?"

Gildarts looked up into the sympathetic face of Master Makarov. He wordlessly opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before honestly answering," Yes. I just… Master I just don't know what I'm doing wrong." He said helplessly. "Every time I think I've got a hang of this I go and screw it up like that and make her upset."

Makarov gave him another sympathetic look," Honestly you aren't doing as badly as you think you are, but there is room for improvement."

"I'm all ears."

"Think about what you were like at her age: would you have taken kindly to someone telling you how to dress or how to behave? No, you would have reacted exactly like she just did. My advice is to sit down and seriously talk to her. You need to explain why you don't want her to do this and you need to listen to any reasons she gives you for why she did something- then you two need to come to a resolution that you are both happy with."

The Ace was more than a little skeptical," Master I was a degenerate- I just don't want her to make the same mistakes I did."

"Then talk to her." The miniature man implored," The only way you two are going to fix things is through clear communication."

"Thanks for the advice Master." Gildarts said," I promise to give that some serious thought."

Thankfully the old man didn't try to call him out on his bull.

He wouldn't have tried to talk things out at that age: he would have just done whatever he wanted.

He had a lot of regrets because of how he'd lived his life, and he'd be damned if Cana made the same mistakes that he did.

oOOOOo

The next few days passed without incident. Cana wore a shirt and he felt like his methods had worked. They were just finishing up dinner when she decided to break the comfortable silence.

"Hey Dad," she said after she cleaned her plate," I know you don't want me taking overnight jobs- "

"No."

Cana blinked at the abrupt reply," You didn't even let me finish!" She said incredulously.

Gildarts took a sip from his beer and retorted," Didn't have to- our rules clearly state no jobs more than an hour from Magnolia and nothing that goes overnight."

"But Dad-!"

"No buts."

"Its only three days!" Cana said passionately," One of my clients is going to a family reunion in Tengo- she wants to hire me to do readings for the party."

"I thought you hated party jobs?" The Ace asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cana snorted," When they're willing to pay two hundred thousand, I like them just fine."

The father was about to say no when the passage from the parenting book flashed through his head. _Too little freedom and your child may act out in dangerous ways._ Cana was a good girl and this sounded fairly harmless… it would be good to show her that he trusted her.

"If I let you do this-"He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before his baby let out a thrilled cheer, quickly hugging him around his neck.

"Thanks Dad!" She said with a wide smile, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and then running up the stairs, presumably to start packing.

Three days.

He could handle three days without his baby. He knew where she'd be and he could give her a communication lacrima to check in.

If giving her a little trust put a smile like that on her face, then he'd just have to toughen up and deal with it. She was a strong, competent mage.

She'd be just fine.

oOOOOo

Was this what it felt like to have an empty nest?

Since Cana had moved in his house always had some kind of sound, a violin, a trumpet, a piano, a hum- just something other than the unbearable silence he was dealing with now.

She'd already made it to Tengo and had checked in once she had. All she had planned for the day was to do readings for the party and then she'd be back by tomorrow night.

But the silence had quickly become unbearable and forced him out of the house and to the guildhall.

"GILDARTS FIGHT ME!"

"Maybe some other time Natsu." The redhead said, casually batting the pink haired pyro into the wall.

Ah, the raucous and wonderful guildhall. Perfect for trying to forget all your empty nest woes.

"Hey Gildarts!" Wakaba yelled across the hall, holding up a mug in the air," Grab one and come talk with the rest of us in the of-age-to-drink corner."

The Ace found himself smiling and before he knew it he was right in the thick of things, a beer in one hand laughing at the terrible jokes that his guildmates came up with. He loved Cana, but he'd definitely missed this.

Macao shook his head and turned to the redhead," So anyway- I was really surprised that you let Cana take that job."

Gildarts shrugged," Its only three days- Cana's a smart girl, a capable mage, and I figured it was a good way to show her that I trust her to make her own decisions."

For some reason this was something incredible from the way everyone stared at him like he'd just recited the code of Guild Laws backwards.

Nab shook his head, smiling as he clapped him on the back," I'm impressed- I mean you've come so far in just a few days. Just a few days you freaked out about her showing a little skin and wouldn't let her take a job, and now you're totally chill letting your kid on an S-Class job."

His blood went cold.

"…what?"

Nab gave him an odd look, but shook it off," I mean, it is the lowest ranking S-Class job available but still- "

"Cana's job is just reading fortunes at a party in Tengo- what are you talking about?"

That got confused looks until it clicked in every single head present.

Fuck.

Macao decided to be the brave bearer of bad news," Laxus took Cana on an S-Class job with him." He said hesitantly, looking at the crash mage like he was a live bomb," …I take it that she told you something different?"

The mug in his hands crumbled to pieces as he pushed himself up," Yes." He said in a deadly calm, "She definitely told me something different. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drag her home and then lock her in her room for the rest of her life."

oOOOOo

"COME ON YOU LITTLE PISSANT I'M RIGHT HERE!" Cana screamed, drawing the monster's attention away from the kids and onto her.

The beast let out a roar and charged.

"LAXUS- HE'S COMING AT THREE O'CLOCK!"

"I SEE IT!"

The lightning user threw a bolt of electricity that hit the monster square between the eyes with a concussive blast that knocked everyone off their feet.

Cana tucked into a roll and was back to back with the blond," Did that do it?" She asked, panting for breath.

"I think- "

The dragon slayer was interrupted when the boar-like creature let out a furious screech, tossing its head and jerking its body like it was having some kind of seizure. The serpentine tail was lashing out with enough force to uproot the trees with a single strike.

The brunette deadpanned," Of course not."

Laxus shook of his surprise," Alright- looks like we're going to plan D- I'll take the rocks."

Cana threw her friend an offended glare," Why do you get the easy part?"

"Because I'm the one who's going to keep my mouth shut around your dad when this is over."

The brunette scowled but ran forward, pulling the rope out of her bag without losing any speed. Three quick card strikes toward the monster's back flank and she had all the leverage she needed to use its tail as a springboard, landing squarely on the monster's back.

Plan D

More affectionately referred to as Operation Cowgirl.

Of course, the second she landed the thing was trying to buck her off, jerking its body wildly as she tried to remain in place. Cane managed to roughly loop the rope around the monster's horns, giving the makeshift reigns a harsh yank to force it to go in the right direction.

Though it was still trying to buck her off, it did start to move toward the rocks where Laxus would be waiting to drop them on its head. If that didn't do the trick, then they would have to move onto other less-pleasant options. Since she would prefer not being swallowed whole or shoving anything up its nose, the brunette was fervently hoping the rockslide would do the trick.

"LAXUS NOW!" Cana screamed, throwing herself off of the thing's back just in time for the boulders to come crashing down.

As the dust settled the card mage stared at the newly buried monster, a bead of sweat running down her face as she waited for any signs of movement.

After five minutes the brunette let out a loud cheer.

Looks like Operation Cowgirl did the trick!

"That was quite the risk you took." A voice spoke from behind her.

Cana let out a snort, turning towards whoever was behind her," But it work- "Her voice died as she came face to face with her very angry father.

Shit.

oOOOOo

Gildarts was not someone who was quick to anger. Which was a good thing considering the nature of his powers.

But right now, he was more furious than he had ever been in his entire life.

"Dad I- "

"Don't you dare Rebecca Arcana Alberona." He growled, cutting off whatever Cana had been about to say. "There is absolutely nothing you can say that would make this better."

The Ace grabbed his daughter by the arm and began to drag her back toward the small town that had requested the mission.

"LAXUS GET DOWN HERE!" The red-haired man roared, getting immediate compliance from the other guilty party. The blond following without protest.

The walk back to the village was silent, with two teenagers afraid to say anything and the father trying to control his temper. Once back at the meager accommodations the townsfolk had been able to provide them, Gildarts immediately told Laxus to get lost, the lightning user abandoning his companion without a second thought, and Cana was bracing herself for whatever was going to happen next.

The Ace's fury was tempered slightly as he began to inspect his daughter, applying a stinging disinfectant to the small cuts she had gotten over the course of the battle, examining her for any sign of potential internal wounds or broken bones, and then flashing a light into her eyes to make sure the brunette wasn't concussed. As soon as the standard procedure was taken care of, he stared down his child, the girl refusing to meet her eyes.

"I consider myself a reasonable person," Gildarts began in an icy voice," I set certain rules and I expect my rules to be followed. I said no combative missions, did I not?"

Cana flinched, silently nodding her head.

"You lied to me and took a job that you knew that I would never allow you to do, putting your life in danger- "

"But I'm fine!" Cana blurted out. "We finished the- "

"Quiet!" The crash mage snapped," As soon as we get home, I'm pulling you out of the guild."

The brunette jerked her head up up horrified," What?!"

"From now until you've earned back my trust you will not be taking any kind of job; you will not be allowed to practice with your cards. You will not be allowed in any social events or be allowed to join in on anything the guild plans, you will only be allowed to go to the guildhall if I am there, and you will only be allowed to go to your lessons and back."

"But-!"

"No 'buts' Rebecca!" Gildarts said furiously," You lied to me- _you_ broke the trust and now you will deal with the consequences. Am I clear?"

Cana visibly curled in on herself," Yes sir." She answered quietly.

"Good. Now go to bed. We'll be heading home first thing in the morning." Without so much as a backwards glance at his child he walked out of the room, closing the door a bit more firmly than was probably necessary.

And felt all the fight drain out of him the second he heard her start crying back inside the room. He wanted to go back in, to hold her, to apologize, tell her that she had scared him so much with this stunt and that all he wanted was to make sure she was safe. But he didn't.

He hadn't said anything that wasn't true. Cana had broken his trust and now she would have to deal with the consequences of her actions. He had to stay firm, even if it went against all of his paternal instincts.

oOOOOo

How was it possible he didn't have any dental floss?

Gildarts was pawing through the contents of the small drawers in his section of the bathroom. He had just bought a new thing of dental floss- how could it just disappear?

He then began examining the section of the counter that had been allotted for Cana and the crash mage softened at the thought of his little girl.

Over the past few weeks, she had been trying as hard as she could to earn back his trust. Was respecting all the rules and never so much as whispered a complaint (well not where he could hear her at any rate). She had repeatedly apologized and promised to never pull a stunt like that again.

He had actually been considering lengthening her leash a bit in an effort to have her earn back some of the trust she'd lost.

The thing he had been the most grateful for in this whole mess was Master.

The old man had not only respected his punishment but had also punished Laxus for taking Cana on the job in the first place. Though Makarov had made it clear that he didn't completely agree with his chosen methods, he never tried to challenge him.

Now back to the matter at hand- where the fuck was the dental floss?

It had been sitting out on the counter last night, so where the fuck was it now?

After several more minutes of searching the man finally decided to give up and moved over to Cana's side of their shared bathroom. She probably wouldn't mind him borrowing some.

Now he just had to figure out where she kept hers.

Gildarts found the desired item and had been about to grab it when a different item among the drawer's contents caught his attention. His heart dropped into his stomach as he stared slack jawed.

_What the **fuck**?!_

oOOOOo

"I'm home!" Cana yelled as she walked through the doors, kicking off her shoes in the hallway. "Dad? You home?" She yelled when she didn't get a reply to her first yell.

"Cana can you please come into the kitchen?" Her father called down the hall.

"Sure!" She responded," Just let me drop my bag- "

" _Now_ please Cana."

The brunette stilled, mind racing as she tried to figure out what she could have possibly done wrong this time and coming up empty. Tentatively she walked into the kitchen, greeted by her father's stony expression.

"Um, is everything okay?" Cana asked hesitantly.

Gildarts dropped the offending box on the table," Care to explain?"

For a moment the brunette gaped like a fish as soon as she recognized the box of condoms she kept in her section of the bathroom. This was not good. She opened her mouth to give what probably would have been a terrible excuse, but instead what came out was," Why the hell were you doing going through my stuff?"

The Ace's expression went hard," I was looking for dental floss- don't change the subject."

The card mage floundered for moment, before coming up with a shaky defense," Shouldn't you just be happy I'm having safe sex?"

"You're fourteen- you shouldn't be having sex!" Gildarts snapped," Just how long has this been going on?"

Cana was feeling her own anger rise," Now you want to know about my sex life?"

"Again you're fourteen- you shouldn't even have one!"

"And yet I am old enough to consent!"

The Ace shook his head," Go to your room and stay there- I'll go to the school and tell them I'm pulling you out for good."

"You can't do that!" Cana raged," I'm not a little kid!"

"You're my kid and you've obviously proven that I can't trust you- "

"Maybe that's because you make it impossible for me to talk to you!" Cana snarled, before throwing up her hands in surrender," You know what- I'm done."

"What?"

"This is obviously not working out- I'll pack my things and go back to Fairy Hills, then we can go back to having separate lives."

Gildarts blood went cold. "What?" He blurted out in complete shock," You can't-!"

"Watch me." Cana snarled, storming out of the kitchen and up to her room, slamming the door hard enough to shake the entire house.

The crash mage stood for a moment, before collapsing against the kitchen table, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now.

He didn't want Cana to leave. He definitely didn't want to have her stay out of life. He didn't think he would be able to stand having Cana out of his life.

He'd really screwed things up this time.

Maybe… maybe it was time to take Master's advice.

oOOOOo

Cana was maybe three steps away from breaking down when there was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Her father asked quietly from the hall.

The brunette furiously rubbed at her eyes trying to get rid of any tears, snapping out," Do what ever the fuck you want!" Angrily pulling her clothes out of the small dresser. Thank God she hadn't gotten rid of the boxes from when she moved in.

Gildarts gently pushed the door open, seeming more vulnerable then she'd ever seen him before," Can we talk?"

The card mage huffed," I don't care what you do."

The Ace flinched before quietly speaking," I'm sorry I blew up at you. I could have handled that way better, but swe- "He cut himself off, not sure how the term of endearment would be received," Cana… I do think you are way too young to be having sex."

The brunette stilled, setting her stuff down and taking a deep breath," It was just one time." She admitted quietly," I wasn't sure if we were going to do it again, so I grabbed the condoms just to be safe. Its not like the first time was planned or anything."

"You don't have to tell me anything," the Ace said softly," And I'm glad that you decided to take precautions just in case- but I won't lie and say that I am alright with you having sex." The father carefully approached, before sitting the both of them down on the bed. "Cana… sex isn't something you should be taking lightly."

"I don't." Cana said turning so she could face her father fully," Its just… it felt like you were calling me a whore. Like I was sleeping around – "

Gildarts didn't hesitate, just pulled his girl into a hug," I'm so sorry I gave you that impression." He said sincerely," I was just upset. Cana… I haven't been a father very long and I'm making this up as I go. Finding out about this… it just made me realize that even though you're my little girl, you're not so little. If you still want to leave… if you still want to leave then I'll accept it."

For a moment it was quiet, before Cana finally spoke up," I'm not a kid, but… if its okay with you I'd like to still be _your_ kid."

He felt tears begin to build up in his eyes," Of course I still want you to be my kid sweetie."

Cana buried her head against her father's chest and silence reigned for a little while, until Gildarts realized that he still had something left to apologize for. "Hey Sweetheart?"

The brunette pulled out of her father's hold so she could look at him better.

"About the S-Class job, I'm so sorry about how I acted." He said honestly, feeling horrible at the look of surprise on her face. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that and I should have been more open on why what you did was wrong instead of just skipping to the punishment. Its… do you have any idea how scared I was when I found out where you were?"

Cana numbly shook her head no.

"I was terrified. S-Class jobs are dangerous and every time you take one, you go in with the knowledge that you might die. Anything could have gone wrong, you and Laxus could have been in way over your heads, that thing could have thrown you off, either one of you could have gotten seriously hurt- and I wouldn't have known. You could have died, and I would've been at home with no idea why you weren't answering the lacrima call. Yes, the lying was part of it, but with you on that job there was a terrifying possibility that I may lose you. The reason I tried to keep you close to home is because I know that as long as you're here in Magnolia you're safe and sound."

The brunette cleared her throat," To me it feels like you don't trust me as a wizard." She admitted," It felt like you were saying that my magic was pathetic and that I should just stay home because fortunetelling was all I could do. I asked Laxus to take me with him because I needed to prove to me that I could handle it. That my magic wasn't weak."

Gildarts pulled her back in for another hug," I guess we have a lot we need to talk about, and I promise to listen when you say something."

"Thanks Dad."

He should have taken master's advice from the start; guess he owed the old geezer an apology. Later though, right now this was more important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goal with these stories is to depict healthy relationships as best that I can. I'm trying my best emphasize communication, respect, and understanding as best I can here. He reacted badly to the idea of her having sex and going on the job like I feel a normal dad would- the problem here is that since he hasn't known about her for a while his parental instincts are in overdrive. They are both trying very hard to force this, to be the perfect family and not realizing that it just isn't possible. They are two independent people, it takes time, effort, and communication on all sides.


	49. First Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Cana's first Halloween! All Cornelia wanted to do was dress her baby up and take her trick or treating, she respected her husband's guild but... their Halloween parties had tendency to get pretty out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the costumes: yes, yes I did that.

"I'm open to suggestions if you have any." Cornelia offered casually as she wiped the paint off her face. She hadn't even wanted to dress up but Gildarts had insisted- said that since it was Cana's first Halloween they all had to put in the effort.

Her lovable idiot of a husband was wearing the same pirate costume he wore every year and she had been intending to paint on a sugar skull design- unfortunately since it scared the baby that plan was scrapped.

Gildarts stepped into the bathroom lightly bouncing their little angel," Well I'd suggest you go as a goddess, but I've been told dressing as yourself is tacky." He said nonchalantly, giving a small shrug.

The brunette had to hold back a laugh. "Smooth."

"I try." He said with that devil-may-care grin on his face she loved so much (he was an idiot, but he was _her_ idiot).

"And what do you think Cana- what should Mommy dress up as?" She cooed taking her happy baby away from her husband.

The infant was dressed up as an utterly adorable Dalmatian puppy. The baby was in a black and white spotted onesie that featured a pair of black floppy puppy ears, a little tail, and the feet even had little paw prints sewn on. The small black nose they'd drawn onto her completed the look for maximum cuteness.

"Moo."

Both parents laughed and Gildarts kissed his baby on the cheek," It's 'woof' you silly girl." He said affectionately.

"Moo!"

Cana was having a little trouble understanding that just because it had black and white spots didn't necessarily mean it was a cow. Oh well, it was an easy mistake any way.

"Well Conny you better pick something- don't want to be late." The Ace said offhand, taking his baby back and giving his wife a quick peck.

"Late for what?" Cornelia asked in confusion," Aren't we just taking her around the neighborhood?"

Gildarts froze, the classic 'oh shit- knew I forgot something' look on his face. He quickly cleared his throat," Um- well I thought we could drop by the guild Halloween party for a few minutes. Master's been asking about it and well, what could a few minutes hurt?" He said with a nervous smile, taking in the way his wife stilled, a look of barely concealed panic beginning to take shape.

"The guild Halloween party?" The brunette asked, her voice going up an octave on the word 'guild'.

"Yeah."

"Are… are you sure that's a good idea?"

The crash mage winced. As horrible as it might sound that was a fair reaction. "Master promised that nothing like… well what happened last year is not going to happen again."

Cornelia stared at her husband in disbelief," They nearly burned down the entire town and turned the guildhall into a scene from a bad slasher flick- and you want to take our baby in there?!"

"It wasn't that bad." He protested weakly.

"Gildarts, they burned the magic counsel in effigy."

He winced again. Yeah, that little stunt had gotten the entire guild arrested. To be fair they had all been wasted at that point, but… well the stuff they'd done sober didn't inspire much confidence either.

The brunette took a deep breath, relationships were about compromise and Fairy Tail usually toned down their behavior when Cana was around," Ten minutes." She said definitively," We go for ten minutes- anything happens we leave."

Gildarts brightened instantaneously at this.

"You hear that Cana?" He cooed lifting his baby up over his head in that way that made the baby squeal _just so_ ," You get to show Master how cute you look!"

"Moo!" She squealed, making her father put on an exaggerated pout.

"Woof."

" _Moo!_ "

Cornelia smiled at the sight and then began wracking her brain to find a costume she could throw together in five minutes that would be easy to run in if this all went sour.

oOOOOo

In the end she wound up just painting whiskers on and grabbing a pair of cat ears that she'd picked up as a joke when the Halloween rush started.

Gildarts had pouted a little bit when she didn't accept any of his suggestions (an angel, the queen of hearts, an empress, a succubus- he would have said 'the most beautiful woman in the world', but once again going as yourself was tacky).

The guildhall had been decked out with fake spiderwebs, carved up jack o' lanterns, floating candles, and bats that may or may not have been real.

Hay bales were laid out in place of the usual chairs and there was a refreshment table set up with a smoking punch bowl and every kind of treat you could imagine.

"Hello you three!" A familiar voice called out happily. Makarov was sitting at his usual perch on the bar, face covered in green paint with a pair of oversized fake ears that were probably intended to make him look like a goblin rather than Dumbo.

"Hi Master," Gildarts greeted, wrapping his arm around his wife.

"And hello Cana!" The old man said in adoration, staring at the little girl with hearts in his eyes.

The puppy looked at her surrogate grandfather," Moo." She replied seriously, her eyes roaming around the hall.

Makarov felt like he might develop a cavity from the sweetness. "Oh, what a little darling- are you looking for Laxus?"

The baby immediately brightened at the sound of her cousin's name.

"Where is Laxus, Master?" The mother asked conversationally, keeping a wary eye out on the crowd of partying wizards. It seemed pretty tame thus far- bobbing for apples, wrapping people up in streamers to make them 'mummies', pumpkin carving- nobody even seemed drunk. Maybe they had learned their lesson from last year?

Yeah- no. It was more likely they just hadn't really started the party yet.

A tiny blonde head popped up from nowhere, mildly startling the adults.

"Hi Gildarts! Hi Miss Cornelia! Hi Cana!" Laxus said happily. The little boy was wearing a bright yellow costume that had two long black-tipped ears, an odd zig zag tail, and two red circles painted onto his cheeks.

The brunette recognized the costume from somewhere, she just couldn't put her finger on where.

"Hello Laxus." The woman said kindly, shifting her baby in her arms and noticing the way the little boy's eyes immediately went to the baby. "Would you like to hold her Laxus?"

"Yes please!" The boy replied eagerly, accepting his tiny cousin who squealed happily and reached out to grab his nose.

"Moo!"

The blond blinked at the little girl in surprise," No Cana- woof!"

"Moo!"

"Woof!"

" _Moo_!"

The adults watched with fond eyes as the children went back and forth.

Laxus utterly adored Cana, and the little girl equally returned the affection.

Gildarts let out a laugh," Well we just dropped in to say hello, we're going to be taking Cana around the neighborhood."

"You're leaving?"

The adults all turned to the devastated face of the electric mouse.

"You just got here!" Laxus said, flashing his best puppy dog eyes as he adjusted his grip on the baby. Cana for her part, had absolutely no idea what her big friend was upset about, but immediately turned to give her parents her own teary-eyed look.

In the face of two adorable children utilizing the deadly eyes to the fullest extent, all resolves crumbled to dust.

"How about you come with us Laxus?" Cornelia offered, crouching down to be on the six-year old's level," You can come trick or treating with us and then we can drop you off later."

The blond brightened," Can I grandpa?"

"Of course, you can!" The miniature guildmaster said with an indulgent smile," Have a good time."

"We will!" Gildarts said with a grin, herding the three of them out of the guildhall.

oOOOOo

"What…what the fu-freak happened?" Gildarts barely managed to censor himself in time as he stared open mouthed at the carnage before them.

Next to him Cornelia stared at the scene with her eyes about to pop right out of her skull," We were only gone for three hours."

The parents were each carrying a sleeping child, both of them having been exhausted by the fun and gaining a pillowcase of candy each.

They had returned to the guildhall, intending to drop off Laxus for the night only to find…words just couldn't do the carnage justice.

"Hey Gildarts."

"Yeah Conny." The stunned man answered (thank god they hadn't stayed- this was somehow _worse_ than last year).

"How about we take Laxus home with us for the night and drop him off tomorrow?"

Both adults winced as the sign above the entrance fell to the ground with a crash.

"…'Tomorrow' might be a little too optimistic."

"… Day after next?"

The crowd of drunken idiots let out a cheer as what appeared to be a rhino in a clown costume smashed through one of the few remaining walls.

"…Actually, we should probably just keep him the rest of the week."

"Sounds good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by my college town, where Halloween parties got so out of control that the holiday has been banned for almost thirty years. No one is entirely sure what happened (well no one is willing to talk about it at any rate), but whatever happened the local cops decided to ban Halloween for good and it kind of worked. Kind of. But that is a story for another time.  
> I have this little headcannon that Gildarts and Cornelia would take one look at the neglected Laxus and just kind of decide 'he's ours now- Ivan can suck it.'


	50. Arcana Rebecca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where Cornelia died in childbirth, Gildarts frantically tries to adjust to suddenly being thrust into the role of a single father to his newborn daughter. Even with a strong support network it is not without its struggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy fiftieth chapter! Honestly, thanks guys. Thank you all so much, I used to look at people who churned out twenty chapters and wonder how it was possible and now to see how far I've come feels incredible.  
> Warning: Mentioned SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)
> 
> This is the one time her name actually is Arcana Rebecca, he gave her that name to honor her mother. I also took more than a few liberties with different aspects of early life- but it came out sweet so I have no regrets!

"Come on little miss." Gildarts pleaded as he bounced his crying baby," Come on sweetheart- we're both in this together. Please stop crying angel."

But the baby could not be consoled and continued crying, her screams continuing to raise in pitch as the little girl's miserable night continued.

The Ace was desperately trying not to give in and break down along with her. There was no greater hell, than that of a parent with a sick child who can do absolutely nothing to ease their baby's suffering.

His heart always broke when Cana cried. He never wanted his baby to unhappy a single day in her life, and normally he could fix whatever was wrong. He could change her diaper, give her a bottle, rock her and bounce her until she finally fell asleep.

But right now, his baby was running a hundred-degree fever and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

He'd taken her to the doctor and had followed all of the advice- cold baths, compresses, the baby cough syrup, the antibiotics, warming up her blankets before he wrapped her in them- but nothing was helping.

The father felt his spirits sink lower as his poor little angel started vomiting up the meager contents of her stomach all over the both of them. Ignoring the disgusting feeling of the bile oozing down his chest, Gildarts pulled his shirt off and did his best to clean up his even more distressed little girl.

"I'm so sorry angel." He whispered pressing a kiss to his little girl's forehead, not even entirely sure what he was apologizing for.

He couldn't even get her to eat- Cana was young, not stupid. She had quickly discovered that anything she ate would just come right back up and had been on a hunger strike that was making this nightmare so much worse than it needed to be.

He sank down onto the floor, leaning against the wall for support as he rested his miserable daughter's tiny head against his heart.

He'd known going into this that the life of a single parent would be difficult, but he really had no idea just what he'd been getting into.

The guild had received a lacrima call for him from a hospital in the middle of nowhere that told him that his magnificent wife was dead and that he had a newborn daughter that needed him. He hadn't had any time to grieve, he'd just been told 'your wife is dead' and they had shoved the baby girl into his shell-shocked arms.

In an odd way, Cana had actually helped him deal with her mother's death.

Here was this tiny, three-day-old little princess who had no one else in the world except for him. This little girl was all he had left of his wife, who in the span of ten minutes had him wrapped around her tiny finger. She was completely dependent on him for everything and he had to either step up or give her to someone else to raise.

And the latter was absolutely not going to happen.

It wasn't all bad moments and tears and no sleep- the first time she wrapped her tiny hand around his finger, the way she'd turn her head when she heard the sound of his footsteps, and every time she gave him that magnificent toothless smile that made him feel like the best person on the planet.

This was his life now. There was no point in complaining.

Yes, things would be a lot easier if Conny was here. But the reality was that she wasn't.

He couldn't be blinded by what if's and fantasies when his daughter needed him here in the present.

Besides, even if he'd understood then what he does now about the life of a single father: he would've still taken her anyway.

Because Arcana Rebecca Clive was the greatest thing to ever happen to him and he'd never give her up no matter what.

oOOOOo

It was over.

The hunger strike was officially over.

Gildarts could not explain the sheer relief that washed over him when Cana eagerly latched onto her bottle. Her fever had finally broken the night before and apparently, she was already feeling better. Loudly demanding that her Daddy deliver her breakfast.

After almost three days the hunger strike was over and this whole nightmare was finally coming to a close.

He let out a laugh when the tiny princess let out a hiccup that shook her entire body, looking almost startled at the feeling, before getting the most hilarious grumpy expression on her face, when every single time she tried to go back to eating another hiccup would shake her tiny body.

The Ace laughed at the put-out look on his baby's face and blew a raspberry right onto her tiny belly, making her let out a shriek of delight in between hiccups. "This is what happens when you eat too fast." He admonished gently, patting her on the back until she spit up.

Ah parenthood- least he was totally immune to bodily fluids at this point, didn't matter how disgusting it was.

He kissed her forehead and carefully laid her down in her bassinette.

"Okay little miss," He said kissing his baby's nose," You may be feeling better- but Daddy feels disgusting. So, here's what we're going to do. You are going to take a nap and Daddy's going to take a shower- this sound good?"

She blew a spit bubble at him.

He decided to take it as a 'yes'.

"Glad we understand each other."

In the first three days after he had brought Cana home, he had discovered quite a bit about his baby- one of them being that when he could get her to sleep, she was the heaviest sleeper on the planet (he'd accidentally blown up her tiny dresser and she hadn't woken up!). Another being that gently rocking her bassinette for a few minutes put her out like a light for at least an hour (usually).

More than enough time for a shower.

The flu had shaken up her sleeping patterns for a week, but thankfully this trick still put her right back under.

With the baby fast asleep the father was able to take his first shower in almost three days: he'd gone longer on jobs, but being covered in baby vomit for almost a week straight made it seem a lot worse than any of those times.

Seemed like luck was finally on his side: when he got out, she was still down, meaning he could catch up on all the chores that had piled up.

Another thing he hadn't realized about having a baby- you do laundry in almost every spare moment.

Cana went through three to four outfit changes in a day for one reason or another, add in the towels and blankets that needed to be washed regularly and his clothes that got covered in a lot of different substances and all that adds up to about twenty hours a week spent on laundry alone.

About half an hour into this, the Ace heard a sound coming from Cana's room. Assuming that his darling had just woken up from her nap he left the half-folded clothes out on the table and went to check on her, and what he saw took his breath away.

It had rained the night before, leaving water droplets on the windows. The light of the early morning sun on the damp windows sent miniature rainbows careening off in every direction. Rainbows that his daughter was utterly fascinated by.

The infant was reaching out, trying to grasp the light with her tiny fists, a look of complete wonder painted across her face. She didn't get frustrated by her lack of success in catching the pretty colors, if anything she seemed even more delighted with each passing second. A halo of pure childish wonder radiating from her.

How had he helped make something this incredible?

Gildarts just stared at the tiny angel that he had been blessed with.

Moments like this. Moments like this made him realize what a complete and utter miracle his little Cana truly was.

Slowly he approached, and carefully scooped up the sweet little thing.

"I think you might have a little more luck with Daddy here princess." He whispered into her hair, shifting her in his arms so that she could keep reaching out to chase the light.

How had he helped to create this completely, utterly beautiful child?

How blessed he was. How truly blessed.

oOOOOo

"Hello you little darling!" Master gushed happily, fawning over the six-month-old baby who seemed completely pleased with the attention, gifting her surrogate grandfather with a wide smile. The old man suddenly had hearts for eyes," Oh you are so precious! Yes you are- _yes you are_!"

Cana squealed reaching out for the nice old man to pick her up- an invitation Makarov eagerly accepted.

As theminiature guildmaster happily bounced his granddaughter on his knee, he turned to raise an eyebrow at the exhausted crash mage," Have you slept at all Gildarts?"

The red haired man let out a sheepish laugh and rubbed at the back of his head, admitting," Well, you see- she was so upset while she was sick that everything else kinda… took a back seat."

The shorter man raised an unimpressed eyebrow," Including your own health?"

Gildarts winced," I'm doing okay- "He weakly tried to defend himself, only to be cut off by the older man.

"You can't properly care for your child if you're neglecting yourself Gildarts. You aren't doing Cana any favors by not taking care of yourself- think about it this way." The old man offered when he noticed the younger man open his mouth to protest," If you don't have enough sleep then that will cause you to become overly exhausted- how could you find the energy to play with the little darling if you're running on fumes?"

The crash mage felt all the fight drain out of him. That was a good point. Even though he was pretty sure that Master wanted to give him a firm lecture that if his health was compromised then he was putting Cana's health at risk, he appreciated the way the old man dumbed it down for the sleep-deprived brain.

The miniature guildmaster looked from the man he had raised to his tiny granddaughter tugging on in beard before making a decision. "Go to bed Gildarts."

The taller man was baffled," I'm sorry, what?" He questioned in surprise.

"Go take a nap- I'll watch the princess in the meantime."

"What- Master I can't ask you to- "

"You're asking anything- I'm ordering. Go to bed and let me spend some quality time with my granddaughter. We all win this way: I get time with the baby, you get sleep, and Cana gets her father in better shape than you are right now."

Gildarts was about to argue but saw the _look_.

Fairy Tail was a guild of drunken fools with more nerve than common sense: but even the stupidest among them didn't try to argue with Master when he got that glint in his eye.

"Okay." He said in defeat, getting up and kissing his daughter's forehead before ascending the stairs.

He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

oOOOOo

Gildarts was in that hazy state between sleep and the waking world. He had no idea he'd been asleep and only vaguely knew what month it was, but he felt fantastic. His limbs felt like they weighed five tons a piece and he couldn't even muster the strength to open his eyes.

That had been a nice dream, he may not remember much of it, but the feeling of warmth and peace uplifted his entire mood. Conny had been there, that much he was sure of, but had their darling princess been with them?

The Ace finally managed the herculean task of opening his eyes, sunlight poured through the unshuttered window, bathing the room in soft light. He rolled over intending to go back to sleep, when his eyes caught the small clock on the wall.

His blood went cold as he stared in mute horror at the time (it had to be wrong- there was no way- he wouldn't-).

It was almost six o'clock.

The sun wasn't up at six o'clock in the morning.

_How long had he been asleep?!_

In a rush Gildarts tried to jump out of bed, only to fall to the group in a tangled mess of blankets. He swore viciously as he untangled himself in desperation.

Cana hadn't woken him up.

Why was everything so quiet?!

It shouldn't be quiet- Cana should be screaming- she slept like a log but even she woke up every few hours. She should be screaming- to be changed, to be fed, for Daddy to come and hold her and give her attention- _why the hell was it so quiet?!_

Finally succeeding in getting himself out from the vice trap that was his own bed (blowing the whole thing apart in his panic- didn't matter. He could deal with it later) the Ace bolted down the hall.

He'd heard the stories- of babies who died in their cribs for no apparent reason. Of parents waking up to too-quiet houses and finding their little bodies cold. Please. Please. Please not his Cana. Not his baby. Please to every god that existed- please don't take her. Please not his baby.

He burst through the closed door of her nursery only to stop short.

All he saw was a beautiful little face chewing on a pair of plastic keys, a tiny head that turned to the door at the sound of the commotion. A tiny face that lit up when she saw him, letting out a thrilled squeal that his princess reserved just for him.

Then she was in his arms and he was crying- she's okay, she's okay, _**she's alive**_. She was in his arms- where she belonged and he was never putting her down again, never ever letting her out of his sight- she could have been _dead_ -

A quiet cough was heard from somewhere in front of him.

Carefully adjusting his grip on his confused little darling, Gildarts looked up to see Master's concerned face.

Master.

Oh. Now he remembered.

The old man ordered him to get some rest, said he'd watch Cana.

"Is everything alright?" The old man questioned in that calm voice you reserve for skittish animals.

The father heaved a shuddering breath (she was okay. She was never in any danger to begin with)," Sorry." He apologized," I just woke up- I forgot you were- "

The concern was replaced by clarity. "Ah- I see. You forgot that I was here and assumed that something must be wrong with your baby."

"Yes." How did the old man do that? How did he manage to put stuff together without anyone saying much of anything? Was it some kind of superpower you got if you lived long enough for all your hair to go white?

A hand was on his shoulder. Master must have gotten up from his- rocking chair?

For a second he forgot his terror as he stared in dumb confusion. Where the fuck had that thing come from- it certainly wasn't his.

A cleared throat had him looking back to the now amused guildmaster.

"A gift from the guild." He said with a nod at the chair. "I hope you don't mind- while you were asleep, I took the liberty of calling the guild to come pitch in. All the laundry has been done, the house has been cleaned up, and Porlyusica sent over a pot of stew for dinner."

"Oh that's- "He floundered trying to figure out how to respond, before finally settling on," Thank you."

The old man herded the father-daughter pair down the stairs to the significantly cleaner kitchen (wow, this was different. He hadn't realized just how filthy the place must have been) and poured out a bowl of stew, pushing it in front of the still dazed crash mage.

"Everybody also donated food," the miniature guildmaster said nonchalantly. "Your freezer should be stocked for a month at the very least. And the princess finished her dinner about an hour ago."

"Thanks." Gildarts repeated dumbly, trying to eat with one hand and entertain his infant with the other. However, he'd expected today to turn out this hadn't really made the list.

The brunette baby was sitting on her Daddy's lap, happy as a clam, curiously examining her father's hand. The little girl looked quizzically from her own tiny hand to her father's much larger one, as though trying to understand why his was so much bigger.

"So," the crash mage said in an effort to make conversation," What else happened while I was out? And what's been going on around the guild?" He hadn't been out of the house much since he'd brought his daughter home, he'd probably missed out on a lot of fresh gossip.

The occasional giant let out a laugh," You haven't missed much- just the usual chaos. Though everyone was thrilled to come and see the baby- you should bring her by sometime."

Recognizing that it was not a suggestion, Gildarts cracked a small smile," How about next week?" He offered casually.

Conversation continued- the latest jobs, what Laxus had been up to, plans for the Fantasia parade.

Finally finished with his dinner, the Ace was able to give his daughter the undivided attention that she deserved," And how was your day Princess?" He cooed," Were you a good girl for grandpa?"

Makarov let out a loud laugh," She was an angel Gildarts- only got upset when she was hungry or needed a change. Had a great time with everyone else- little darling has the entire guild wrapped around her little finger and she knows it."

The little girl cooed and then yawned widely. Both men smiled at the sight of the sweet baby as she began to snuggle down into her father's arms.

"Okay little miss- I understand." The crash mage said with a gentle grin. This was Cana's way of telling him that she was ready to sleep and that he had exactly five minutes to put her down before she got upset.

The guildmaster stood up," And I suppose that's my cue to leave as well."

The red head stood up and gave the older man a grateful look," Thank you for coming Master."

"It was my pleasure." The old man said warmly, before giving the man he had raised a soft look," Gildarts- you are doing an incredible job, but I want you to remember that you can always count on the guild to step in if you need help. You don't have to do this all by yourself."

The Ace smiled," I'll keep that in mind." He said honestly.

Later that night Gildarts was quietly watching his little girl as she slept. Was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of her even if he wanted to.

The lingering fear of waking up to find his baby dead was still very present in his mind. Even if she was fine… even though she was fine he'd probably be sleeping in the nursery for a few days. Just to be sure.

Besides- he'd destroyed his bed. Why bother going to sleep on the couch downstairs when there was a perfectly good rocking chair just five steps from his baby?

oOOOOo

"Alright Sweetheart- "The Ace said as he pulled his baby out of the sink," You should be clean enough- let's get you dried off."

Bath time with Cana usually ended in one of two ways- she would either be completely calm and let him re-dress her or she would shriek like a howling demon until he put her back in the water and waited until _she_ decided that bath time was over.

Thankfully today was the former rather than the latter.

Once his tiny princess was in the little pink onesie with bunnies on the feet, Gildarts settled the two of them down in his living room. He'd been putting this off for months now- mostly because he hadn't been able to take the pain, but it was high time he bit the bullet.

"Here we go darling." He said calmly, pulling the small photo album open," There's someone I want you to meet." After a few seconds of flipping he finally found the picture he was looking for. He shifted Cana to make sure she was looking at the picture," This is your Mommy."

It had always been his favorite picture of his wife: a frame that perfectly captured her radiant beauty, the gentle curve of her lips as they formed her beautiful smile, the sparkle in her eyes… he missed her so desperately it hurt.

The baby reached out one hand to carefully touch the image of her mother's face.

"She would've loved you Princess." He said gently, watching with misty eyes as his little girl inspected the photograph," We met on a joint job between our guild's. She was with Mermaid Heel and she walked right up to me and said she couldn't wait to work with me- and I just stared like an idiot because she was the prettiest woman I've ever seen."

He gently pressed a kiss to his baby's head before continuing the story," We get to the town and she is beating these monsters right and left- she didn't even need me to help at all. Then an earthquake hit- everything was destroyed and we both spent a week trying help as many people as we could. We went on a few jobs after that and then got rained inside a small inn. We made up a song to pass the time- and I just remember looking over as she was playing the piano and realizing that I well and truly head over heels for Cornelia Alberona."

Gildarts swallowed past the lump in his throat as he kept going," The day I married her was the one of the happiest days of my life. She was so beautiful in her dress…" He trailed off when a tiny hand reached up and patted his cheek. He looked down surprised to see the concerned look on his little girl's face as she reached up and clumsily wiped his tears away.

All the father could do was stare down at his baby in astonishment as she once again reached up to wipe away his tears with all the compassion a six-month-old could have. "Thank you, Sweetie." He said hoarsely, before pulling his baby as close to him as he could.

"Your Mommy should be here right now. She should be right here, but sometimes life just isn't fair. Cana- "He pulled away just enough so he could look his baby in the eyes," Wherever Mommy is right now- she loves you so much. I want you to remember that Cana. As much as your Mommy and Daddy loved each other, we love you even more. Since Mommy isn't here to show you that love, Daddy is just going to have to love you five times as much to make up the difference."

He could do this.

Besides, it wasn't like he was doing this alone. It takes a village to raise a child, in this case a guild would work just fine. And maybe one day he'd see Cornelia again and she'd tell be able to tell him that he'd raised their daughter well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought that this came out pretty fantastic! Yeah, I took a few (a lot) of liberties, but I have no regrets! I was working on writing down a couple different outlines for future chapters and I just started thinking about Gildarts being the single dad of a child, but what about a newborn? I wanted to keep him just this realistic human being who's trying to be a good dad and grieve on his feet- and him learning that it's okay to lean on other people sometimes. Also in case anyone is curious he slept for about nine hours give or take- that scene took a while to get right.
> 
> I feel like I should mention that this story is cross posted on FFN and this version is two chapters ahead of the other one: so the fiftieth chapter for that one is going to fifty-second chapter of this one. And its going to be quite spectacular if I do say so myself!


	51. Blood Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blood Hunter. A monster that when summoned will hunt down its prey to the ends of the earth in order to destroy them. There's just one little problem. When it comes to family members who share the same blood it gets a little confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For supboyyyyy93- sorry it took me so long! I took your suggestion on the monster and wound up picturing more of a Princess Mononoke demon meets scorpion- its just what I kept picturing in my head. Also I am so sorry about last week's technical difficulties. It took some time but I got it sorted- enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Warning: Violence and while the medical stuff is kind of accurate, best to assume it isn't.

On a dark and stormy night, a dark guild called Crocodile's Paw was performing a terrifying ritual.

The fire warped and crackled, terrifying shapes visible through the blaze as the chanting reached a crescendo. Then suddenly the flames were extinguished, guttering out in the blink of an eye. A black ooze bubbling out of the ground where the inferno had burned.

The black slime surged up from the ground, growing until it reached the size of a large bear, slowing forming into a distinct shape. A creature with eight legs and no head, a long tail tipped with a wicked stinger, a mouth stretching across what was possibly its stomach, filled with sharp jagged teeth. Lesions across its back that burst sporadically, acid-like pus squirting onto the ground, destroying everything it came in contact with.

The creature suddenly reared up onto four legs like a horse before allowing it's body to drop to the ground with a crash, releasing the screech of a dying animal as it did so.

The Master of Crocodile's Paw grinned wickedly, exposing a mouthful of rotten teeth, as he looked upon the nightmarish creature.

It would do nicely.

The circle of followers parted as their master walked forward, stopping a hairs breath away from the creature and holding out a vial filled with a thick, dark red liquid.

"This is the blood of your prey- the one known as Gildarts Clive."

oOOOOo

"You wouldn't know good taste if it bit you in the ass!"

"Funny coming from the girl who barely wears clothes!"

The eternal rivals of Erza and Mirajane were face to face, one insult away from once again trying to murder each other. At least until a brunette girl walked up and violently cracked their skulls together.

"WHAT THE FUCK CANA?!" Mira shrieked at the irritated card mage, holding her injured head.

"Do you two want to get us banned from the shopping district _again_?" Cana growled; arms crossed over her chest as she took the glares from the rivals. "I happen to need new clothes and I would prefer it if you two didn't get us thrown out!"

"Cana's right you guys- can't you two get along for just a few hours?" Lisanna asked plaintively, her puppy dog eyes successfully breaking down both her sister and the armored wizard.

"I suppose I can deal with her presence for a few hours." Erza said with a huff," But I won't pretend to be happy about it."

Mira snorted," What she said."

"Sounds perfect- Levy what do you think of this one?" The brunette asked, holding a black dress up against her body.

The bluenette critically evaluated it for a moment before making her determination," I think it would make Master try to send you to a nunnery."

The card mage grinned wolfishly," Sounds perfect, guess I'm getting it and wearing it to his birthday party."

"What'd he do to make you want to give him a heart attack?" Lisanna asked curiously, deliberately ignoring the death glares being exchanged behind her.

"He banned me from booze for the next month!" Cana exclaimed.

"What did you expect to happen?" Mira asked incredulously," You charged thirty barrels of beer to the guild!"

"It was only twenty-nine!"

"Yeah, like that makes it better!"

The brunette rolled her eyes and changed the subject," So Lisanna- you and Natsu do the deed yet?"

"CANA!" The red-faced girl shrieked, hurriedly turning to her now fuming sister to start her reassurances," Mira I swear we haven't done _anything_ \- "

"Then what was that little scene yesterday?" The card mage asked, an evil little smirk on her mouth.

"What scene yesterday?" the She Devil asked dangerously

"Shut up Cana!" Lisanna snapped frantically trying to assure her sister," He walked me home that's all- "

"Lisanna if he tries anything- "

Erza butted in," Back off Mira- let's be honest here, its _Natsu_. You think he has any idea what sex is?"

That broke the tension, all five girls bursting out laughing. Yeah, they had a weird dynamic, but it worked for them.

Levy shook her head," Come on- there's a nice little ramen shop down the street- "

She was cut off when an explosion rocked the ground, sending everybody onto the pavement.

"What was that- "Mira started to ask when a second explosion rocked the plaza, a four-story building collapsing into a pile of rubble, a dust cloud quickly blinding all the bystanders.

A furious roar sounded across the entire town," GILDARTS!"

Suddenly a lightning fast shape snaked out of the dissipating dust and almost succeeded in grabbing Cana, the girl managing to roll away and to her feet in the nick of time.

"What the f- "The card mage was forced to cut herself off and rapidly dodge another strike.

As the dust finally dissipated, the Fairy Tail girls finally got a look at Cana's attacker. A massive monster almost twenty feet tall, black plates forming an armor over its deformed body, half of it reared up as it's drooling maw once again screamed," GILDARTS!"

Cana narrowly dodged the third strike and began trying to speak as she weaved, jumped , and rolled in her efforts to avoid the pincers that were at best trying to grab her and at worst trying to skewer her. "WHAT. THE. FUCK. IS. GOING. ON!?"

"CANA- RUN!" Lisanna screamed.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO?!" The brunette screamed over her shoulder as she bolted, trying to put as much distance between herself and the creature as she could.

Erza and Mira had finally shaken off their surprise and managed to hit the beast in the side with their combined strength- but the beast carried on chasing after the dark-haired girl. Smashing Titania and the She-Devil with a swing of its tail, sending them flying into random buildings.

"SOLID SCRIPT: CONCRETE!" Levy yelled, creating a six-foot-thick cement wall, which the monster smashed through like it was wet cardboard.

"GILDARTS!"

"If it wants Gildarts so bad why's it chasing Cana?" Lisanna asked frantically as she Levy began running after the monster in pursuit of their friend.

"How should I know?!" Levy asked incredulously, leaping over rubble and debris as she tried to keep up the pace," One thing for sure- we can't let it get her!"

"Agreed!"

oOOOOo

"LOVERS. REVERSE TOWER. HEAVEN: SUMMON LIGHTNING!" Cana screamed desperately, as her cards bombarded her pursuer with several million volts of electricity.

It didn't even slow it down. The plates of its armor easily absorbing the lightning.

This was bad.

This was really fucking bad.

All she had wanted to do today was eat, laugh, and try on slutty outfits- was that too much to ask for? Why did this shit always happen to her?

She let out a grunt as she hurled another barrage of cards, setting of the chain explosion with a snap of her fingers.

"GILDARTS!"

Oh yeah, there was that too. The stupid thing apparently wanted her old man- so why the fuck was it chasing her?

How moronic did a monster have to be not to notice that the person it was chasing was not only a head shorter and about a hundred pounds lighter, but also was a different sex?

At least she was the only person it was chasing.

The few people who hadn't evacuated the streets as soon as the fighting started were completely ignored in favor of her. Yay for small favors. At least she didn't have to worry about protecting people while she struggled to save her own skin.

Wait skin!

She jumped up onto a table and managed to get enough lift to get up the side of a building and with a well-aimed strike, a card hit the small chink between armor plates.

_That did it._

The thing let out a screech that had her reflexively covering her ears as the whole block vibrated with the force of its scream. A splash of purple blood hitting the pavement with a hiss and began eating through the cobblestones.

Oh joy. Its blood was acid.

Was this the frying pan or the fire?

"CRASH!"

The monster was suddenly launched from its place in the street into the air, the ground breaking apart beneath its bulk.

She smiled despite herself.

Seemed like her old man had arrived just in time to save the day.

The beast was confused, its upper body 'looking' between them as it tried to puzzle out what was happening and who the new person on the battlefield was.

"Gildarts!" She yelled blindly," It's weak points are the chinks between the plates!"

"CANA!"

BAM!

Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her as it finally succeeded in catching her in one of its pincers. Seemed like the stupid sack of flesh decided it wanted her over her father.

The claw closed around her waist, making her ribs scream out in protest. On autopilot Cana threw the card in her hand as hard as she could, the explosive detonating just in time for Gildarts to release another blast of crash magic aimed for the exposed maw of the beast.

Cana felt the heat of the explosion on her skin as she was sent airborne. Her body sailing away from the force of the blast. Her last coherent thought before she hit the ground, and everything went black?

'I really hope they give me the good painkillers this time.'

oOOOOo

Gildarts was furiously pacing the hospital waiting room, anxiously awaiting news on whether or not Cana was going to pull through.

That stupid thing had been after him- so why the fuck did it go after Cana?!

It ignored everybody else just to keep on chasing the card mage.

By the time he had gotten to the plaza (the thing had been screaming his name so loud he heard halfway across the city) the shopping district was trashed, Erza and Mira were both out cold, Lisanna had a broken arm, and Levy had a bad concussion, but Cana was by far the worst off.

Her right arm busted in a way that the bone ripped through the skin, burns from the monster's acid blood, a black eye, and her head bashed in. And that was just what he knew about- they'd been working on her for hours now. How much worse was she?

It had wanted him.

It wasn't even that she'd gotten caught in the crossfire- the thing had deliberately targeted her. He'd been halfway across the city in a heavily populated area, if it was collateral damage the thing was after it could have gotten so much more, so why had it gone after her? Why had a teenage girl gotten so badly wounded when the thing was after him?

"Any news?"

Gildarts just about jumped out of his skin," Holy shit, Master!"

The old man just gave him a deadpanned stare and repeated his question," Any news?"

The redhaired man slowly shook his head," No, they took her back a while ago but legally they can't tell me anything since I'm not family or you."

The miniature man nodded, calling out to a passing nurse," Excuse me miss!"

The pink haired woman turned her head at the call and swiftly moved over to the guildmaster.

"Would it be possible for you to get any information on how Cana Alberona is doing? Or at least tell me who to speak to?"

"I can do that," she said with a nod," I believe the one in charge of her surgical team is Dr. Nils- I'll check on that and someone will be back with an update as soon as possible."

For a few minutes after the woman left the two sat in a tense silence before Gildarts broke it," Master, what the fuck was that thing?"

The disgusting thing that had destroyed a good portion of his hometown and almost killed an innocent girl. The timing of Cana's strike with his was apparently enough to do the thing in, he'd made sure that it was down for the count before rushing the girls to the hospital.

As per standard protocol, Master would have gone to examine the scene to figure out as much as he possible could about the magic used in order to help the wounded. And also to deal with the angry people who were mad that their stuff got broken (the local insurance companies both loved and hated Fairy Tail).

The old man pinched the bridge of his nose, but before he could say anything there was a commotion at the door.

"Out of the way you ugly prude!" Mira growled trying to bodily shove Erza away from the waiting room door.

"You get out of the way pornstar!" The redhead shot back as she also tried to shove the white-haired girl away.

"ENOUGH!"

All heads turned in shock to the usually mild-mannered Lisanna Strauss who was red faced in fury, steam almost coming out of her ears. "Cana's hurt and all you two can do is fight?!"

Erza and Mira were the powerhouses of the younger generation, they feared no man or beast… however they were not stupid enough to not fear an angry Lisanna. The two immediately sat down and shut up.

"Wow." Levy said impressed," I didn't think I'd ever see the day those two backed down from a fight!"

The blunette had layers of white cotton wrapped around her head and looked worse for wear, but was still determined to find out about her friend," Is Cana okay?"

The two men in the room shared a look before Gildarts spoke up," She's still in surgery, we should be getting an update soon, but right now it's up in the air. Are you all alright?"

Lisanna shrugged and held up her left arm, now encased in a bright red cast," I've been better," She admitted freely," But what was that thing?"

"Yeah- I want to know too!"

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

The old man let out a sigh and rubbed at his temples," I examined the remains and I believe it was the Sanguis Venandi- the Blood Hunter. It is a demon created through incredibly dark magic, brought to life for one purpose- to hunt down it's assigned target and eliminate them."

"If it was supposed to hunt me then why did it go after Cana?" The Ace questioned.

The old man let out a deep sigh," That's something I haven't been able to figure out. When the demon is created, its master gives it the blood of its prey- it uses the sample of the target's blood to hunt them down. Hence the name. It should have ignored all others in favor of you… I can't understand why it didn't."

Gildarts was about ready to pull his own hair out- it was attracted to his blood, was supposed to hunt his blood- what the fuck were they missing here.

Levy made a small noise that got everyone's attention. "It's obvious, isn't it?" She said raising her eyebrows at everyone," Gildarts and Cana must share blood- that's the only thing that could make this make sense."

That statement was met with identical poleaxed expressions on every single face in the room.

"Well," Mira said thoughtfully," I suppose his man whore ways _would_ have to catch up to him eventually."

"Hey!" Gildarts cried out in outrage," I'm not that bad- its more likely we're long lost cousins or something- "

"Actually, that probably wouldn't be a close enough blood connection." Master pointed out," In order for the Blood Hunter to mix you up then you would have to be much closer in relation- parent and child would fit that."

"And besides weren't you shagging that girl behind the guild yesterday? I find it really hard to believe you don't have kids." Levy said, surprising everyone with her boldness. Usually she aired on the side of Erza- going cherry red whenever the topic of sex came up. Maybe it was the concussion?

"That wasn't- I was- I'll have you know I haven't had an accident baby yet and I never will!" Gildarts said firmly, annoyed at the disbelieving looks the entire room sent him (he wasn't that bad dammit!)," I don't know anything about my family- it's entirely possible that we could be siblings."

"Um- am I interrupting something?"

Everybody turned to meet the unsure face of a purple-haired doctor.

"Do you have news about Cana's condition?' Makarov asked, dropping the subject temporarily.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Lisanna asked anxiously.

The doctor hesitated," It… we've stabilized her for now but… it's just too early to tell."

The suffocating atmosphere of the room ratcheted up a notch as the doctor began his breakdown.

"Miss Alberona suffered eight broken ribs, one of which punctured her right lung. She sustained hairline fractures to her spinal column- mostly to her lumbar vertebrae. The compound fracture to the right radius and ulna went through her skin and that resulted in significant blood loss. Due to the acid we had to flush the wounds with several different potions to stop it from eating through her flesh down to the bone- she had to have multiple skin grafts. All of these alone are very serious, but we believe that she will recover in time. But…" The man trailed off.

"But what?" Levy asked hesitantly.

"In addition to her other injuries Miss Alberona suffered significant head trauma, which is what we are the most concerned about. She could suffer long-term consequences as a result." The mood dropped off a cliff to its death.

"What do you mean 'consequences'?" Erza asked shakily.

The violet-haired man took a deep breath," There's no real way to tell for sure until when- if- she wakes up." He admitted," Head wounds are tricky- sometimes something as drastic as a railroad spike going through a person's skull does absolutely no damage, while a light tap against a window becomes fatal. Judging by the areas where her head impacted with the rubble… it really is up to chance. She may wind up blind or she may develop an eidetic memory."

After a moment of letting this sink in, the doctor turned toward the men," Did you manage to figure out what the monster was Master?" He asked politely.

The old man shook off the potential fate of one of his beloved children and nodded his head," The Blood Hunter," he said grimly.

Gildarts took over for Makarov," Apparently the only explanation for why it went after Cana is that she and I must share blood- would it be possible to get a comparison test done?"

The doctor blinked in surprise and nodded slowly," Yes, we can do that. If you follow me Mr. Clive, we can get started right now if you're ready."

The Ace nodded, turning to face the rest of the room. "What do I get when it turns out we're siblings?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Makarov let out a derisive snort," How about you pay for the girls' rents for a month when it comes back that we're right? But for the sake of humoring you- how about a month of free booze?"

"I can live with that." The redheaded man replied with a pale imitation trademark cocky smirk," I'll be sure to enjoy that Master thank you."

As the crash mage followed the doctor further into the hospital, the last thing he heard one of the girls ask the room.

"Hey, do you think we could go on a vacation with the rent money we save?"

Gildarts let out a snort. There was no way. Cana had been in the guild since she was a tiny little thing, there was no way he could have had a kid under his nose that entire time and not known it… besides he took precautions every single time and even if the contraceptives had failed, the girl would've told him. They had to have.

He had to have a much younger sister. Because he didn't have any idea what would happen if it turned out they were right.

oOOOOo

He had a pretty little girl.

A powerful, magnificent, beautiful daughter he shared with god knows who.

A daughter that was lying in a sterile hospital room hooked up to what seemed like an infinite number of tubes and wires keeping her stable as she fought to recover from the attack that he had inadvertently caused.

She looked so tiny. Fragile and breakable.

Fifteen years old and she might have permanent brain damage because of who her father was.

Hell of a parent he was turning out to be.

Where had he been? He suddenly wondered. Where had he been on the day some unknown woman brought their child into the world? Where had he been on what should have been among the greatest days of his life?

When had Cana been born? Where? And to whom for that matter?

The door opened behind him, a person moving to stand next to him, not that Gildarts bothered to look.

"So… I take it the blood test…" Makarov trailed off but Gildarts caught the unsaid words loud and clear.

"Yeah." He said with a forced laugh and a strained grin," Guess I owe the girls rent money."

Rent money.

Cana lived in Fairy Hills too, right? He should pay hers to... who knew when she would be back on her feet, let alone able to take jobs. Maybe… maybe she could move in with him? His place was pretty small, but he could always add onto it… you know, if she even wanted to come live with him.

His blood had almost gotten her killed and he couldn't even begin to guess who could have been her mother. When Cana woke up and found out… she'd be completely justified to hate his guts.

 _If_ she ever woke up.

The doctor had said everything was still up in air. For all they knew she might be in a coma for the rest of her life.

He was roused from his downward spiral by a gentle hand giving his shoulder a shake. He finally managed to pull his eyes away from his battered daughter and looked down to face Master, who was looking at him in deep concern.

"Gildarts… I'm so sorry." The old man said, not bothering to specify what he was apologizing for. That he had found out he had a pretty little girl in some of the most horrible circumstances imaginable? Or that said pretty little girl had been under his nose all this time and he'd never realized it? That his beautiful baby girl was currently in a coma due to wounds he had been responsible for? Or all of the above?

"I don't even know who her mother is." The Ace whispered quietly. That was something that kept coming back to the front of his mind. He slept around a lot. He wouldn't even try to deny that. He had lost count of the number of women he had been with over the years, all of those women and he had always made sure that they knew how to contact him. Whoever had mothered his beautiful girl… he could have been there for her life and whoever her mother was had deliberately kept him away.

"I sent the girls to pick up Cana's file from the guild." The occasional giant said calmly," The hospital needed copies of her paperwork for the official record anyway, we can check her birth certificate when they get back."

"I… I don't even know if I'll be able to put a face to the name…" Gildarts admitted.

The old man shook his head," Either way- there isn't anything else we can do. Visiting hours are coming to a close, unless...?" He left his statement open ended but Gildarts got the message.

"I'm going to stay for the night at least." The redhaired man said immediately, who knew if there was some other monster on the way? If he was here, then he could protect her… and when she woke up he wanted to be the first person she saw.

Because she was going to wake up. She had to.

oOOOOo

You'd think that a hospital this advanced would be able to give something more concrete than 'well she hasn't gotten any worse'.

Fifteen days and the best news he'd gotten was that his baby girl wasn't getting worse. She also wasn't getting any better, but she'd passed the danger window at least.

Fifteen days since the bomb had dropped that the love of his life had his baby and never said anything.

He shared a child with Cornelia Alberona (and oh he felt like an idiot for not putting the pieces together sooner) that she had named 'Rebecca Arcana Alberona'.

That said so much that words alone just couldn't.

What were the chances of all of this happening?

That their daughter somehow made it from Sugarhill to Magnolia at the age of six completely alone (well she'd had a little dog with her, but that didn't count!) and join the same guild her father was in. That he had quite possibly been the first Fairy Tail wizard that she had ever met.

There was probably some kind of poetic justice to all of this that he was just too drained to spot right now.

An odd snuffling sound became barely audible through the steady beeps and hisses of the equipment keeping Cana alive.

The crash mage looked around for a moment but couldn't find the source and was about to go back to the book he'd been reading when he spotted it.

Cana's fingertips twitched.

Feeling far more calm than he had any right to be, he pressed the call button for a nurse and moved over to the bed, to see her eyelids beginning to flutter.

"Mr. Clive?" A voice asked from behind him.

He didn't bother with the details," I think she's waking up."

As if on cue her brilliant violet eyes blinked open, glazed with sleep and confusion.

"Cana… can you hear me?" He asked slowly.

Her gorgeous eyes weren't focusing on him (please let her just be out of it. Please don't let her have gone blind because of him). Blinking heavily against the light as her head slowly turned in his general direction.

"Can you hear me?" Gildarts repeated.

Her lips twitched, opening and closing without any sounds passing through for a few moments, before she was able to murmur something almost too low for him to make out.

Almost.

Gildarts mind went blank. Had she seriously just said-

"… _pancakes_."

Despite the situation he started howling. Deep belly laughs that made his sides hurt and brought tears to his eyes.

Pancakes.

Of all things she could've said upon beating the odds and waking up from a coma, she says 'pancakes'.

Not 'I'm alive', 'yes', 'I hear you', or even 'fuck'- she'd said 'pancakes'.

 _Pancakes_.

He probably looked like a lunatic but this was the funniest thing he'd ever witnessed in his entire life (well there was probably a bit of shock that made it seem funnier than it really was- but it still counted).

Takin a few deep breaths to reign himself in, he wiped the tears from his eyes and grinned ear to ear," If you get better, I promise you can have all the pancakes you want." He said swore.

Cana made a sound that may have been an attempt at 'yay' before she fell back to sleep- and it really was sleep this time.

He really didn't have anything to worry about.

She was a tough cookie just like her mom.

Cana was going to be just fine.

oOOOOo

About an hour later inside the Fairy Tail Guildhall…

"'Pancakes'- all the terror she puts us through and all she has to say is ' _pancakes_ '?!" Gray Fullbuster yelled indignantly.

Lisanna was fighting off giggles," Well what would you have liked her to say Gray?"

"I don't know but it definitely wasn't 'pancakes'!"

"At least she said something!" Levy said, a wide smile on her face." Hopefully this means that she'll be back to normal soon."

"If nothing else this proves that her memory of her favorite foods is still intact." Erza pointed out reasonably.

Everyone laughed in response.

It was true.

If there was one thing that Cana loved more than alcohol it was pancakes.

"I still remember when she was a little bitty thing," Macao said with a nostalgic grin on his face," She'd been hanging around the guildhall too shy to talk to anyone. I offered her breakfast and she wouldn't say anything at first, then she asked for a bite of my pancakes."

Wakaba swung his arm around his best friend's shoulder," And on that day a monster was born." He said trying to keep a straight face and failing.

The only thing everyone was certain of: they were never going to let Cana live this down!

oOOOOo

She'd woken up a few more times over the last few days, which apparently was normal for patients coming out of comas.

It was her body's way of reacclimating to the outside world.

She hadn't said anything since the legendary 'pancakes', but Gildarts wasn't too bothered.

His baby was getting better and while it was still too early to know for sure if she had any permanent damage, it was progress.

The now familiar sleepy sound of protest that always signaled Cana's return to the waking world had him right beside her bed.

"Cana?" He asked his now routine question," Can you hear me?"

Sleepy violet eyes blinked up at him, "Uh- huh." She confirmed, barely nodding her head.

"That's good." Gildarts said encouragingly," You've been in and out for a few days now- you're going to be alright though, don't worry."

The girl blinked slowly and tried to focus on his face," … who 'r you?"

He stilled for a moment. Did she have amnesia or some other memory disorder? What was he supposed to say?! Did he say he was her dad or his name?

He decided to go with honesty, "I'm your father." He said firmly, taking in the adorable expression on her face as she tried to process this new information.

"…daddy?"

Some emotion he couldn't name rushed through him and he swallowed past the lump in his throat," Yeah. That's right- I'm your Daddy."

The brunette nodded," 'night Daddy." And then proceeded to pass out once again, leaving her jarred father alone with his thoughts.

She'd called him 'daddy'.

Maybe she had some kind of amnesia or mental damage… but in this case he didn't really mind so much. When he had married Cornelia he'd been thinking of the future, of little boys and girls who were perfect blends of their parents… in those dreams when he went to a place where everything had gone right those children always called him 'daddy'. Cana had just unknowingly fulfilled a dream of his.

Everything was going to work out just fine.

oOOOOo

Cana was really fucking confused.

She had been at home practicing on the violin- how the fuck did she get to the hospital?

Actually, better question: _why_ the fuck was she in the hospital?

She couldn't remember any kind of fight or emergency or accident. Had Natsu tried to prank Fairy Hills again? Last time he'd tried everyone had temporarily lost the ability to see in color… so if that was the case then this might make sense…

The brunette was able to push herself into a sitting position with some difficulty. Her body seemed to protest every single move she made, and breathing was painful. Still, Cana Alberona was nothing if not determined, and while being mindful of the numerous IV lines and monitoring equipment (the beeping was beginning to get on her nerves), she began to try and get up.

She had barely been able to stand on shaky legs when the door opened.

Later Cana would look back and wonder who had been more surprised: herself when her goddamn father walked through the door of her hospital room or Gildarts who had gone to get a cup of bad coffee and come back to see his formerly comatose daughter not only awake, but standing up on her own.

As it was his impression of a concussed fish would stick in her head for quite a while.

After a second of standing dumbstruck, Gildarts quickly shook off his surprise.

"What are you doing out of bed!" He yelped, immediately trying to force Cana back down," Are you feeling okay- you know you shouldn't be walking yet- I'll get your doctor- "

"What the hell are you doing here Gildarts?" Cana asked in complete confusion, not trying to fight the man and sitting back on the bed on her own," And what the hell happened anyway?"

The Ace paused in his fretting," Oh." He said in such a way that made the brunette feel guilty for some reason.

He let out a laugh and gave her a tight grin," There was an accident- I take it you don't remember…"

"What kind of accident?" The card mage asked apprehensively.

Her old man refused to meet her gaze," I'll go get your doctor- he'll probably be able to explain this much better than I could- "

"Gildarts if you don't tell me what's going on, I swear to god- "

"You were attacked." The man blurted out, he winced and then continued," You were hurt really badly… you've been in and out of consciousness for almost a month."

"…what?" Cana asked in shock.

A month? She… she'd been in here for a month?

What the fuck happened?!

She asked as much," I was practicing in my room- what-who- "She fumbled not sure how to ask the question.

Gildarts winced," I'd better get your doctor… he can explain and do all these tests you need to run through."

Before she could say anything else the crash mage was out the door and she was left with more questions than answers.

What the fuck happened and why couldn't she remember anything?

oOOOOo

She didn't remember.

She didn't remember the Blood Hunter, she didn't remember being in a coma, and she didn't remember him telling her who he really was to her.

Gildarts was trying very badly to ignore that last bit and the lump in his throat (she looked at him like he was a stranger). This was a good thing- she was awake and if the attack itself was all she lost then this was a very good thing.

"Okay Miss Alberona- I'm going to need you to put your arms out like this and walk towards me-"The voice of Dr. Nils drifted through the door. The man had asked if he had wanted to be in for the reflex and memory checks, but the Ace had politely declined and elected to wait in the hall.

Cana wouldn't want a stranger sitting in while she got checked out by a doctor after all.

That's all he was to her, a perfect stranger.

He had to figure out some way of rectifying this. He had foolishly assumed that she would remember their little conversation when she finally came back to full consciousness… well no point in dreaming about what could have been. He had to focus on the here and now. He had a beautiful daughter who deserved to know that her father loved her, and she deserved to find out from him, not the rumor mill.

He tuned back in just in time for his budding plan to be crushed in a heartbreaking way.

"-it's sweet really." Nils said fondly," Your father has been by your side almost the entire time- "

"What?!" His baby interrupted in confusion," I don't have a father."

Gildarts flinched despite knowing that it wasn't any kind of insult and got up from his seat.

He had to do this now. No way around it.

oOOOOOo

"-it's sweet really." The kindly doctor said as he measured the strength of her grip," Your father's been by your side almost the entire time- "

"What?" Cana blurted out in shock, her heart almost stopping (Gildarts had been there… wait this couldn't be possible)," I don't have a father."

Before either of them could say anything, else there was a light knock at the door, the Ace of Fairy Tail slipping through.

(This couldn't be possible; how could he have found out?!)

"I'll take this one if you don't mind doc." The massive man said with a tight smile.

Her doctor looked from her to her father and back again before nodding," We can continue this later Miss Alberona." He said politely and then booked it out of the room as quickly as he could.

Which left the father and daughter in an awkward silence for a few minutes, before the crash mage decided to break it.

"Did Dr. Nils fill you in on what happened yet?" He asked seriously.

The brunette slowly shook her head no," He just said I'd been attacked," she admitted, before questioning her old man," Gildarts… what is going on?"

The red haired man swallowed," You were attacked by a monster called the Blood Hunter when you were out shopping with the other girls- they all got away with minor injuries, only because it was fixated on you… by the time I arrived you were pretty banged up but you had managed to figure out it's weak point. Between the two of us we managed to finish it quickly but… but you were hurt really, really badly."

"…How bad is 'really really bad'," Cana asked hesitantly, and it was a moment before Gildarts was able to answer her.

"… You had eight broken ribs and a punctured lung, burns caused by acid that required skin grafts, damage to your spine, and your arm was broken bad enough that the bones ripped through your skin." Gildarts steeled himself before he continued on," But because of how badly your head had been hurt… nobody was sure if you were ever going to wake up or if you would have permanent brain damage if you did."

Cana's eyes were wide at this information. She'd been hurt bad before but this… maybe it was a good thing that she didn't remember any of this.

"Why did it go after me?"

" … It's called the Blood Hunter for a reason." He said softly, making the card mage blink in confusion, but he continued before she could ask." When it is created, it is given a sample of its target's blood; it is supposed to hunt only its prey and ignore everything else. It was sent after me, but… well it got a little confused."

The violet eyed girl wasn't sure what to think here," … what do you mean it got confused?"

"The Blood Hunter has a weakness in it's ability- when there is a close enough blood connection between family members it has difficulty differentiating who it's target is."

And that was when Cana put the pieces together.

Blood.

Gildarts was her father, obviously they shared blood. His being here, what the doctor said…

"I'm so sorry." She said earnestly making her father look at her in confusion. She swallowed and then continued," I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I always intended on telling you about our relationship myself."

Her father looked like she'd just gored him through the chest. Eyes wide and the shock painted across his face. "Wait you- "

Cana closed her eyes and nodded silently.

She had known.

Cana had known who he really was for who knew how long and hadn't said anything.

"Why-?" Gildarts fumbled not even sure what question he wanted to ask first, sensing her old man's turmoil the brunette took over.

"I came to Magnolia because I was trying to find you." She admitted softly," Before mom died, she told me who you were and how to find you, I don't know why. I guess she expected me to wait until I was an adult before heading to Fairy Tail, but I just wanted to meet you. The second I saw you… the second I saw you I knew exactly who you were."

"Why didn't you say anything?" The Ace asked in desperation, things could have been so different.

Cana flinched slightly," I tried." She whispered," At first I was upset because I stupidly thought that since I knew who you were, then obviously you should know who I was… after I got over that… every time I saw you I tried to say something, but things just kept getting in the way."

He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.

All these years she had been trying to tell him the truth. She'd come all the way to Magnolia because she'd been trying to find him, just how bad had it hurt when her daddy didn't recognize her? When he hadn't realized that he had his little girl right under his nose all this time… did she cry? Did he make his own child cry because he was too oblivious to see what was right in front of him?

"Hey there's no need for waterworks Gildarts." Cana said playfully (oh, he was crying… when did that happen?) "Don't worry I don't expect anything from you, things can stay just like they are."

The crash mage sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her against him (gently of course, she was still recovering). The brunette was surprised, but leaned into the hug, laying her head against her father's chest.

He was so warm…

"Cana," the crash mage began, speaking past the lump in his throat as he tried to stop the tears," If it's okay with you- I want us to be a family. A real family. I want to do those cheesy father-daughter bonding activities, I want to be able to brag to everyone I meet about my incredible baby girl, I want to make you pancakes on Saturday mornings-"

"I love pancakes." Cana blurted out, blushing immediately when she realized what she'd just done.

Gildarts released a deep watery laugh," Oh I know you do." He said in a way that made the brunette deeply confused, but instead of elaborating he continued on," I want to be your dad in more than just blood, but only if it's alright with you."

The card mage didn't hesitate, wrapping her own arms around her father and pressing her head deeper into his chest," That's all I've ever wanted Dad."

They stayed like that for a while, crying happy tears and clinging to each other. Nothing else needed to be said.

oOOOOo

"WELCOME BACK CANA!" Everyone cheered enthusiastically as they welcomed the brunette home.

After almost a month and a half Cana was finally discharged from the hospital. Naturally the guild needed to celebrate an achievement like this and had planned out an entire party to welcome her home.

A wide banner painted with the words: CONGRATULATIONS- YOU DIDN'T DIE, was spread across the hall as the pancake-themed party quickly got underway.

Cana had since been briefed on exactly what her first word was upon waking up from her coma had been, and had decided to accept that she was never going to hear the end of this one.

Her brother in all but blood slung an arm around her shoulder," 'Pancakes'." Gray said in mock-anger," Of all the things you could have said and you picked 'pancakes'."

The brunette stuck her tongue out at the ice wizard," I'm sorry, but when you wake up from a coma you can say whatever you like- I picked 'pancakes' and have absolutely no regrets." To prove her point she grabbed a giant mouthful of chocolate chip, syrup-covered, goodness and shoved the entire thing in her mouth. Her cheeks ballooning out like a chipmunk as a result.

"Oh that is disgusting." Grey said before bursting out laughing at how truly ridiculous his best friend looked like that.

Cana swallowed the mouthful and stuck out her tongue again, only for the black-haired boy to shove a napkin into her face. "You've got a little syrup you pancake-obsessed moron."

The two of them both started cracking up.

Gildarts had a wide smile on his face as he watched the two of them, before playfully interrupting," You think I could steal you for a minute Sweetheart."

Cana blinked at the term of endearment but nodded and let her father pull her over to a corner that was slightly quieter than the rest of the hall.

The Ace took a deep breath," Cana, remember when I said I wanted us to be a real family?"

The brunette blinked and nodded in confirmation.

"The last few weeks I added onto my house. You don't need to feel pressured to take it, but if you ever want to live with me… well if you want to live with me there's a room for you."

Cana stared at him in naked shock before throwing her arms around her old man's neck," That sounds great." She said happily," Can't wait to move in."

Gildarts started tearing up and hugged his baby back as tightly as he dared.

And in case anyone was wondering- the first night Cana was home the two of them had pancakes for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious why it continued to go after Cana in favor of Gildarts, its because she was already injured and it decided to prioritize the one that it had already been chasing over the new, uninjured one. Also for those of you wondering why Erza and Mira were taken out so easily- its because bringing them into a fight scene got to complicated and after junking ten versions I decided to just get them out early. I came up with the name by just googling random Latin words until I came up with a combination that sounding legit. Oh, and since I know I didn’t make it clear- she lost all memory of about three weeks leading up to the attack. I figured I needed to have some kind of consequence since I talked it up so much.


	52. Role Reversal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a world where Gildarts is forced to watch his daughter grow up for afar, never knowing that her father has been three feet away the entire time. In this world where Cana genuinely didn't know who her father was, things don't change as much as one might expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been playing around with this idea since the original six chapters, but I was never able to write something that I was happy with. A lot of you asked for this, but it wasn't until LJF gave me the prompt 'Cana follows someone back to the guild like a lost puppy' that this monster of a chapter was born. It is the longest thing I have written to date and is probably the longest thing I will ever write again. I get the feeling that this isn't how most of you would have interpreted this concept, but this is what came the most naturally to me. I also rewrote some canon material- I think you'll be able to tell what I changed pretty easily, but all is explained at the end.
> 
> Warnings: Depression, low self esteem, alcohol as self harm, bad coping strategies, some reference to Cana liking girls (I personally conceptualize her as bi)

"Wow!" The little girl cooed with stars in her eyes, as Makarov once again indulged her curiosity by conjuring a small fireball in the palm of his hand.

Knowing that the idiots he affectionately called his children were likely causing havoc, the old man had decided to take a longer route home from the conference then usual. Might as well enjoy the peace as long as he can before the inevitable headache.

Sugarhill was quite the charming little town, and it was there he'd met quite possibly the cutest little girl he had ever seen. She'd walked right up to him and asked if he really did magic, and when he had indulged by growing into a giant right before her eyes, he suddenly had quite the adorable little fan.

"Its so sparkly!" Cana said in awe as she reached out to bat at the embers spiraling off from the small flame.

Makarov laughed at her enthusiasm," Something like this isn't so special- why one of my children can bring anything he paints to life!"

"Anything?"

"Anything." He confirmed with a smile.

The dark-haired darling was still completely amazed. "Can I learn magic too?" She asked curiously.

"Of course, you can!" The miniature man said with an encouraging grin," Maybe you could join Fairy Tail yourself one day!"

"Really?!"

"Really." Makarov absently checked the time and let out a sigh. Shaking his head, he turned back to the tiny girl," Unfortunately its time to go back to Fairy Tail now, it was nice meeting you Miss Cana."

It took him about twenty minutes to realize he was being followed.

"Come on out of there!" He yelled in annoyance, expecting a bandit to leap from the bushes and try to rob him, but was instead surprised when a familiar child sheepishly crawled out from the bramble.

"What on Earthland are you doing here child?!" The old man asked incredulously, getting a flinch from Cana.

The tiny brunette fisted her hands in her dress, before gathering all her courage," I want to go to Fairy Tail and learn magic." She said, a determined look on her face.

The guildmaster was already preparing to herd her back," When you're older you can- but little one your parents are probably worried- "

"I don't have parents." The wide-eyed little girl said solemnly, which stopped the old man in his tracks. He slowly turned back to look at the now somber little girl. "Mommy went to heaven and I don't have a daddy."

He floundered for a moment," Well- surely there is someone who can take care of you!"

The dark-haired girl shrugged," You said Fairy Tail is a family, and… well I don't have one anymore, so can I join yours?" She asked, her big purple eyes filling with tears.

Any resolve crumbled to dust. He had never and would never be able to resist someone who was looking for a family (especially not cute little girls with puppy eyes), he sighed." Well, I suppose I'll just have to tell my children that they have a new sister from now-oof!" The miniature guildmaster was cut off by the little girl tackling him with a hug, the force of it almost sending the two of them to the ground.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou _thankyou_ -!"

"That's enough child!" He said with a light wheeze, patting her on the back," We really ought to be on our way if we are going to make it home on time." He said fondly to the ecstatic girl.

"Lead the way Master!" Cana chirped in excitement, taking the older man's extended hand and almost skipped the entire way to Magnolia.

Seems Fairy Tail had a brand new member.

oOOOOo

At the same time as a wizened old guildmaster and an excited little girl were walking home, a letter arrived at the home of a powerful man.

The name of this powerful man?

Gildarts Clive

The Strongest Mage in Fiore. The Ace of Fairy Tail. S-Class wizard.

Gildarts was almost constantly away from his home of Magnolia, off on quests. Battling monsters and saving princesses, stopping back by his guild just long enough to share stories of his adventures to his adoptive family and rest his legs before heading off on the next job. It just so happens, that on the day this letter arrived he was home.

Grabbing the mail from his small mailbox was just another piece of tedious daily life. In another life, maybe he would have ignored this letter. In another life maybe he would have set it to the side and then forgotten its existence. Not in this life.

The Ace wasn't sure what about the plain envelope caught his attention- the return address was for a legal office and lawsuits usually went through the guild so it couldn't be that. But something in the back of his mind nagged at him until he finally slid the papers out of their protective fold, surprised that there was a second envelope inside with a note attached to it.

And he forgot how to breathe.

_Dear Mister Clive,_

_We regret to inform you of Ms Cornelia Alberona's recent passing. It was her wish in her last will and testament that this letter be sent to you. There are no further directions as she has specified that all the information you will require are in the contents of the attached letter. Once again, our deepest condolences…_

He stopped reading after that.

Conny- this… this had to be some kind of mistake-

Like a man possessed he grabbed the second envelope, tearing the seal off in frantic desperation to have this be some kind of misunderstanding and began to read.

_Dear Gildarts,_

_If you're reading this then I'm dead._

_I don't know how you feel about that, if you even care anymore, but I needed to write this._

_I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything_ _._

_As soon as I left, I wanted to come back, wanted to get down on my knees and apologize and beg you for another chance, but I've always been stubborn. That's a cheap excuse, but it's all I have to give._

_But I have done a horrible thing, and the reason I am writing this is to try and make it right._

_We have a daughter._

_Her name is Rebecca and she's like you in so many ways. She gets the same look in her eye when she's excited, she's got your preference for spicy foods, your laugh, and so many hundreds of things that I couldn't completely write out if I tried for a thousand years._

_I found out that I was pregnant a few weeks after everything, and I should have told you. I should have told you when I found out, I should have told you when she was born, but I didn't and because of my selfishness I took her away from you._

_I took our little girl's father away from her. I deprived her of the most amazing man in the world, of the man who would have been the most amazing father in the world._

_If you're mad at me for this I understand, if you can never forgive me for the rest of your life I understand- I deserve it even._

_But Rebecca hasn't done anything wrong._

_Without me, you're all she has. I know I don't have the right- but I want you to raise her, to give our girl the happiest childhood imaginable._

_Even though I have hurt you so badly, let me say this one last time._

_I love you Gildarts Clive._

_Forever yours,_

_Cornelia_

The paper slipped out of his grasp and gently drifted to the floor.

He didn't care- he couldn't care.

Conny was dead and their child was now motherless.

Something caught his eye from the envelope he had torn apart in desperate panic. Seems like there was something else in the envelope with the letter.

His shaking hands reached out for the small white squares scattered across his table.

And his world turned on its axis once more.

It seemed like Conny had included photos.

Pictures of the most beautiful child he had ever seen. Violet eyes that took up half her face and a wide smile that filled the rest. Perfect, chocolate-colored curls covered her head, with a little pink ribbon holding her bangs out of her eyes.

This was his baby.

His Rebecca (why had she named her Rebecca?).

A droplet of water fell, striking the image- oh. He hadn't even realized that he had started crying.

He flipped through the pictures in a daze, seeing this wonderful, happy girl playing with her magnificent mother (this was real. Conny was really, actually dead). A flash of black ink caught his attention, something scrawled across the back of a picture of his daughter as a newborn.

_126 Carapace Drive_

_Sugarhill, Fiore_

His body moved on autopilot, grabbing his emergency-job bag from its place by the door. The letter was shoved inside, and the pictures placed in a pocket of his cloak.

He had to go get his little girl. He had to go get her, hug her, and promise to never ever leave her again.

oOOOOo

It took him two days of running at top speed before he finally made it to Sugarhill.

The address led him to a dark green cookie-cutter house. White shutters and a picket fence- everything his wife had always hated. The two sculpted bears by the door told him this was the right place- red paint on the open jaws and signs that told visitors to get lost in their paws.

He pounded on the door as hard as he dared (well- not like anyone would care if he broke it now) and kept spinning in circles as he tried to find some evidence of human life.

Conny was dead, but where was Rebecca?

She had to be here- she had to be safe- well with her mother dead, she could hardly stay in the house, right?

She'd need somebody to keep an eye on her… maybe he should try the neighbors?

It took three houses before someone finally answered the door- opening it just enough from him to see the person's dark eyes as they stared at him with open wariness.

Oh, yeah he probably looked like a lunatic.

"Cornelia- Conny- the little girl- Rebecca where's Rebecca?" He stumbled, trying to get his message out when his mind was still a jumbled mess.

The person opened the door a bit wider, a young man with sandy hair and small lines at the corners of his eyes," I'm sorry, I didn't get that- are you alright sir?" He asked in concern.

Gildarts shook his head," No I'm not." He said honestly," Cornelia- Cornelia Alberona's daughter- where is she?"

The man looked even more confused," Why are you asking about little Cana?"

"Cana? I- the letter said her name was Rebecca." Was this person asking about someone else-?

The man nodded," Little Rebecca Alberona." He said in confirmation," I haven't seen the little bug in a few days- I think old lady Neema is looking after her. She runs the inn. Can I ask what this is about-?"

"Thank you." The Ace interrupted hurriedly, bolting in the direction of the town.

Thankfully, in a town this small there was only one inn. A decent-sized building, made from rough, dark wood, with blue shutters on the front windows.

He skidded to a stop and tried to calm his racing heart as he pushed his way through the doors.

"I'm looking for a woman called Neema." He said clearly looking around at the assorted people sitting down to lunch at the long tables that lined the first floor of the small inn.

An old woman came forward, eyes red like she had been crying," Can I help you stranger?" She said in a clearly forced calm.

"I- I was told to come here." The crash mage took a deep breath before trying again," I'm Rebecca's father, Cornelia- I received a letter saying that she wanted me to take custody. Do you know where she is?" His voice cracked on that last word.

The air in the room still, shocked whispers from the patrons as they gossiped about this bombshell, the old woman blinking in surprise.

"You're- "She shook it off and tears raised to her eyes, as she gave him a pitying look," Cana's been missing for three days now- we've looked everywhere and still haven't found her."

"…what?" Missing- _what?!_

This couldn't be happening. It was just a bad dream. He must have passed out from exhaustion on the road. His baby was fine, she was right where she was supposed to be.

When he finally was capable of processing the world again, he was seated at one of the low tables, people were speaking in hushed tones all around him.

"Are you back with us young man?" The same old woman from before asked in a soft tone, like she was speaking to a frightened animal.

"I-yes." The Ace got out," What happened- ?"

A man a few years older than him piped up from the bar," A stranger came through town- said he was going home to see his children. He was doing magic tricks to entertain the kids… Cana took a liking to him. She said she was going to learn magic someday. The man left and a few hours later we realized that she was gone."

"Did he- "

A helpless shrug from the man at the bar," We don't know. We've searched through the woods a few times now and still haven't found her."

"Oh." What do you know, he was already failing at fatherhood.

"What's your name stranger?" Another voice piped up from his left.

"Gildarts- my- my name is Gildarts." The crash mage got up trying to shake himself back into some kind of functional state. "I'll find her. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

Old Neema shook her head," I'm sorry young man. If you find her- "

"I'll make sure to let you all know." Gildarts said firmly. "I'll- I'm part of a guild. I'll ask my Master for help, if anyone knows how to track a lost little girl down it's him."

Just as he was about to leave, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder, he turned to face the old woman, who placed a worn stuffed bear into his hand," It's her favorite." The woman said hoarsely," Please- if- _when_ you find her- "She couldn't bring herself to finish, but the Ace got the message loud and clear.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded, then began the trek back to Magnolia. Heart even heavier than it had been coming out.

oOOOOo

He'd broken down on the way back. Reducing an entire forest to a flat plane in his despair.

His daughter could be anywhere, if she was even still alive.

Maybe whoever the stranger had been had sold her into slavery or to a brothel or had killed her and buried her on the side of the road. Maybe she was suffering, wanting her mother to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

He ran his thumb over the black button eyes of the worn toy. Wherever she was, she was probably missing her bear.

He had to get back to Fairy Tail. Master would probably know some kind of tracking spell or some kind of way to find one tiny angel in this whole world. He had to. If he didn't… if he didn't then Gildarts was going to search for Rebecca- _Cana_ \- for the rest of his life. He wouldn't leave a single stone unturned or town unsearched until he knew she was safe and sound.

When he heard the bells that welcomed him back home, a smile crossed his lips for the first time in days. Maybe it was chldish, but seeing the guildhall always gave him this feeling that no matter what was wrong it would all work out for the better. If nothing else, he could count on his guild's unconditional support. They'd help him find her, he had absolutely no doubt of that.

The throng of cheering guildmates welcomed him home.

Macao clapped him on the back," Where the hell have you been man?" The fire wizard asked curiously," You just disappeared on us!"

"Sorry." The red-haired man said with a forced grin," Something important came up and it couldn't wait."

The dark-haired man laughed," Something or _someone_?" He said with a suggestive smirk on his face.

Gildarts just shook his head and scanned the crowd looking for the miniature guildmaster, when he saw a familiar face that stopped him dead in his tracks.

What the- was that-

A sweet little thing was sitting at one of the tables a glass of some amber liquid that had _better be_ apple juice next to her and a book on the table that she was reading intently.

Perfect chocolate curls and violet eyes that took up her entire face.

By some wonderful twist of fate, his baby was right here in the guildhall.

"Her name's Cana."

The Ace almost jumped right out of his skin," What?" He asked trying to calm his heart.

Macao just shrugged and gestured to the perfect little angel," Her name's Cana- Master's newest stray. Little thing apparently followed him all the way here because she wanted to join the guild and learn magic.

"Oh that's- "Wonderful, perfect, a balm to his soul to see the living proof of his once happy marriage safe and sound?" That's nice- is Master around?"

The fire wizard gave him an odd look, but answered," He's in his office sorting through paperwork."

"Thanks- be back in a little bit."

Even though all he wanted to do was go hug the stuffing out of the little girl, kiss her tiny head and scold her for following a total stranger and not even bothering to tell her caregivers where she was going, tell her that he was her daddy and he already loved her so much it hurt, he restrained himself and walked up the staircase to the second floor.

He was a stranger to her, it would be best to get Master up to date and then tell her who he was- if some random person came up to her and claimed that he was her father... well he couldn't think of any outcomes that ended well. If he got Master- an adult she clearly trusted- to back him up then there was a much better chance that she'd believe him.

Two quick raps of his knuckles on the door got a calm "Come in," from the old man.

Makarov looked up from the papers he was signing," Welcome back Gildarts." He said with a polite nod to the crash mage," I was starting to get worried."

"Come on Master." Gildarts said with a laugh," Since when have you had to be worried about me?"

The wizened man snorted," Since the council informed me that the Crocodile Paw guild was arrested in the middle of trying to summon a demon to hunt you down."

It was like a bucket of ice water was dumped over his head. "What?" He asked in strangled surprise.

If the occasional giant heard the variance in his voice, he didn't comment. Casually saying," Oh yes- apparently it would have hunted you down and sprayed you with acid until you died."

Suddenly the only thing through his head was image of that beautiful little girl lying broken as some horrific creature loomed over her to finish her off. This was hardly the first revenge plot from one of his enemies, normally he could bat their attempts aside and continue on like nothing happened.

 _He_ could carry on like nothing happened…

Wide violet eyes and chocolate curls. So much perfection in such a tiny package.

He could carry on, could bat away monsters without a blink, could handle dark guild's without batting an eye, but… but that was _him_. If his enemies knew that he had a baby…

"-ildarts. Gildarts are you alright?"

"Huh?" He said as he snapped out of his own mind to see the concerned face of the smaller man.

"Are you alright? You- you're not acting like yourself." Makarov said, concerned for the man he had raised.

Perfect curls and beautiful eyes, a delicate little darling. "Cornelia- Master, Conny's dead."

The old man let his shock read on his face, immediately pushing away from his desk and coaxing Gildarts to sit down. "Gildarts… I'm so sorry." The man said in empathy.

The red head once again tried to shake the images of that beautiful little girl out of his head," I got a letter… I just had to find out if it was true."

Makarov patted the Ace's hand," I'm so sorry Gildarts."

For a moment all was silent, then the crash mage made a sound like he had just remembered something. "So, I heard that you picked up another stray?" he said in forced cheer.

The old man let the change stand," Yes I did." He said unrepentantly," Her name is Cana Alberona- she's six."

"A six-year-old in the guild?" He said in forced brevity as the older man rolled his eyes.

"She's a quick study- devours any book I put in front of her whether it be magic or math. And she and Laxus get along fine- she's been staying with us while we work out her living situation."

"Well she looks like a sweet kid." Gildarts faked a yawn," If you'll excuse me Master, it's been a real long week, I'm going to go home and rest."

Out the door and down the stairs, he didn't turn his head to search for the beautiful little princess, he walked straight home, sat down at his table and cried.

He was her father. And as her father it was his job to protect her.

His enemies tried to kill him once a month at least, and with every job he took he made new ones. They could try their hardest and they would never get him, but they could hurt Cana.

They could hurt his beautiful little girl, could break her, could kill her.

And all because they hated her daddy.

He had to protect her, and if that meant staying out of her life, if that meant that he would never hear her call him 'daddy', never have her run to him when he came home, to only know of her accomplishments secondhand, to watch her grow up from afar… if cutting himself out of her life was the only way to keep her safe… then so be it.

oOOOOo

Life in Fairy Tail was better than she ever could have imagined it would be.

Cana had a grandfather, a brother, and lots and lots of new friends who all helped her with her homework, told her stories, and snuck her candy when Master wasn't looking!

"Cana- can you come here a moment?"

The little girl looked up and saw Macao waving her over by the bar. She hesitated for a moment, because Master had made it very clear that she wasn't allowed to be near the bar, but… just this once would be fine, right?

The little girl bounced over to the fire wizard who handed her a small cardboard box," This just arrived for you." The man said in explanation.

The brunette blinked in surprise and scrutinized the cardboard, but after a moment she reached and pulled up the tape keeping it shut. And the second she got it open she let out a squeal that deafened those closest to her.

"ROO!" She hugged the teddy to her as tightly as she could. She'd had to leave him at Granny's! Granny… oh Granny was so smart! She must have figured out where she was to send him to her! She really _did_ know everything!

In a far back corner of the guild, Gildarts watched his thrilled little girl squeal over being reunited with her best friend. He'd sent a letter to the town to let them know that she was safe, and a treasured companion had been returned.

Knowing that he made her happy just this once would simply have to be enough for him.

oOOOOo

It was to protect her. If no one knew then she was safe.

These two thoughts became his mantras as years passed by, as he watched his daughter grow from afar in the gaps between jobs.

She had taken to card magic like a fish to water, choosing to make all of her cards by hand in order to understand how to use them better. Apparently, she had a natural talent for the piano just like her mom, and unfortunately picked up a few of his bad habits.

"Checkmate! I win again!" The brunette crowed in victory as she beat yet another person at chess. A gracious and humble winner she most certainly was not.

It was absolutely adorable on her. Then again, she'd never not be beautiful in his eyes.

She'd gotten taller, her perfect chocolate curls now reaching the middle of her back when she didn't tie it up, the little pink skirt set having been traded for a brown and orange checkered dress.

Cana cheered with the guild to welcome him home, but there was no attachment to it. She cheered because he was the hero to the guild, because the excitement from the guild was contagious, not because she was attached to him coming home.

He was a stranger to her, had never even spoken to her, they might as well exist on entirely different planets for all their lives intersected.

It was for the best. If no one knew then she was safe.

There had been three separate attempts on his life this month alone- in the last year there were at least twenty that he knew of.

It was all to protect her. Her safety was more important than his happiness.

"GILDARTS FIGHT ME!" The crash mage didn't even bat an eye as he threw the pink haired pyromaniac to the floor with a resounding thud.

"UHH-NO FAIR!" Natsu roared from his place on the floor.

Things had been a lot better since Natsu had joined the guild- hell things had gotten a lot better since all of those kids had joined the guild.

Natsu was loud, belligerent, and caused mayhem as easily as breathing. It was wonderful.

There had hardly been a dull moment since the pinkette had joined: the boy was always trying to start fights with him, with that kid who couldn't keep his clothes on, with little Erza. Natsu was at a point in his life where he needed a father, someone to come to for advice, and someone who would teach him how to be a man.

He could turn his energy into being a father to Natsu, and somedays he didn't even feel any pain when he thought about Cana. Fuck, that sounded like he was using Natsu- he wasn't, not really. He loved the kid just as much as he loved Cana, it was just… it was safe for him to love Natsu.

No one would come after Natsu to get to him, quite frankly, even if they did the pinkette would probably be able to annoy them until they let him go and then set everything on fire just because. He didn't have to be afraid of bringing the pinkette a souvenir from wherever his work took him. He was free to love Natsu in a way that he wasn't free to love Cana.

Cana didn't like confrontation, to his knowledge (like that actually counted for anything) she had never taken a combative job, she didn't butt into conflicts- and that was more than alright! He didn't care if she was a spitfire like Mira or Erza, he didn't care if she was a pacifist who didn't believe in swatting a fly. She was his baby and he loved her just the way she was.

If one of the dark guilds or maniacs or psychopaths or even that one freak who only wore a speedo ever got their hands on her… that would be it. If any of them ever got their hands on her then he wouldn't have a daughter anymore.

Enough of those thoughts, it was time for him to get going. Giant, unstoppable hell beasts certainly weren't going to slay themselves.

Just as he was about to walk through the front doors, a small voice made him stop dead in his tracks.

"You're leaving again?"

He slowly turned his head, looking down until the small girl that was his little baby was visible.

"Uh- yeah." He said dumbly- this was the first conversation they had ever had in her entire life," Got a job beating some unstoppable monster, you know, usual stuff."

The brunette pouted at his answer for a second before flashing him a wide grin that took his breath away," Hurry back! The guild's a lot more fun when you're here!"

Blinking back tears he gave her his own smile," Don't worry- I've faced bigger monsters than this. I'll kick it's tail and be back in time for the flower viewing festival!"

Feeling lighter than he had in a long time, Gildarts set off on yet another stupidly dangerous quest, maybe Cana would ask for the story when he got back. They could sit in the guildhall together and for a little while he could pretend that they were the happy family they should have been all along.

oOOOOo

S-Class.

His little Cana had just been nominated for the S-Class trials. Thirteen years old and she might just become the next S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail.

She would be on the same level as him!

…she would be on the same level as him…

Cana might be an S-Class mage by this time next week, though power levels and skillsets varied from mage to mage, one thing remained consistent: they were the best their guilds had to offer.

If Cana was S-Class material… she'd be facing more than her fair share of monsters and bad guys…

The same kind of bad guys that would be after her for her blood.

If Cana was S-Class then maybe it would finally be safe for her to know the truth.

He might finally be able to hug her, to tell her just how much he loved her, to make up for all the birthdays he had missed… they could be a family…

And so, for the first time ever, he approached her. "Good luck out there, I'm rooting for you." He said with what he hoped she read as an encouraging smile.

The brunette blinked up at him in surprise before flashing him a smile of her own, the one that had only been given to him once before.

When had she gotten so beautiful?

When had the baby fat that had clung to her face started to fade away, when had she grown tall enough to reach his chest?

She was just as beautiful as mother.

Maybe he'd be able to tell her that himself one day, because by this time next week his little girl might just be his equal.

oOOOOo

It had taken self-control he hadn't even known that he had to stop him from jumping into the arena to kill Laxus when the blond had broken her arm.

Cana had made it farther than he could ever have dreamed- she managed to get all the way to the third round before being knocked out by Laxus.

The newest S-Class mage of Fairy Tail was a weirdo named Mystogan who kept every visible inch of skin covered and barely spoke. Gildarts felt a little guilty for wanting to hate the kid, but from his subconscious' point of view, that little punk took the spot that should have been his little girl's.

It was alright, because at least this way the danger Cana would be in on a regular basis would be limited.

Even… even if it meant that she still didn't know who he really was.

But she had proven that she definitely had what it took to be an S-Class mage, sooner or later she would make it there- all he had to do was wait for the day when his daughter would stand beside him. A day where he could make sure she knew just how proud he was.

oOOOOo

"You want me to take a Century quest?" Gildarts asked incredulously as he stared at the miniature guildmaster.

"Quite frankly Gildarts I think you might be the only person who _could_ take this job." The old man said seriously.

The Ace tried to protest, "But- Master they call these things _century quests_ for a reason- "

"Says the man who completed a decade quest in a year." Makarov said dryly, before raising an eyebrow at the younger man," May I ask why the hesitation? In your younger days you would have snapped this up in a heartbeat."

"But now I'm older and wiser." The crash mage shot back. It was true. Fifteen years ago, he would have taken the job without even thinking about it. Had taken on so many time-consuming jobs and hadn't cared about how he was neglecting his wife. But that was a lifetime ago, and now he had children.

A firecracker foster son and a magnificent daughter who drank too much.

How could he justify leaving them behind, and likely never seeing either of them again? No one who had ever taken on a century quest had lived to make it home. It was entirely possible, likely even, that this would be the last time he would ever see Magnolia again.

But… the job needed to be done.

He let out a sigh," Let me sleep on it, I'll give you your answer in the morning Master."

Makarov nodded obligingly," Take your time- nothing needs to be decided today. I understand that I am asking a lot of you and I don't want you going into this unless you're absolutely certain."

"And I appreciate that." Gildarts said, flashing the other man a weak smile, and then heading out of the small office. Down the stairs, doing his best not to look toward the dark-haired beauty holding court, out the door, and down the road until he was finally back at his tiny little house. He numbly sat down at his table and laid his head in his hands.

This job needed to be done, and Master wasn't wrong to say that he might be the only one who could do it. But… Cana was going to be participating in the trials once again. This could finally be the year that she won, and he could tell her the truth.

But if he took the job… taking the job almost guarantees that when she finally did become S-Class… when the big moment finally arrived, he wouldn't be there to see it. And Cana would go on for the rest of her life never knowing that he was her father and she was his daughter and that all he'd ever wanted was to hold her and never let her go-

If he took this job, then he would most likely be taking this secret to the grave.

It was time to decide. Could he live with bearing this secret for the rest of his life?

This job… it put the whole country at risk. Millions of men, women, and children- many of whom he had never met and never would. If he said no then he was gambling their lives away, all because he wanted to hear his daughter call him 'dad' one day.

He couldn't be selfish.

Cana would understand.

The secret was his burden to bear, and he couldn't in good conscious ignore the lives of all those nameless, faceless people… not even for his most precious thing.

And so, bright and early the next morning, Gildarts left Magnolia with a bag of his essentials and five photographs in the pocket of cloak, right over his heart.

oOOOOo

She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't keep putting herself through this.

S-Class just wasn't for her, shame it took four tries for her to finally accept this reality.

Cana took another pull from the bottle of bourbon, the alcohol was the only thing that dulled the pain, not that it did much good anymore. All she wanted was to go back in time, back to when she was still a naïve little girl and turn down the trials.

Whatever Master saw in her… well it was reason enough for the old man to get his eyes checked.

This time… if she got put forward this time, then it would be her last try.

She just couldn't put herself through this anymore. The humiliation, the pain, the shame. That little voice in the back of her head telling her just how pathetic she was, that she should just give up magic for good since it was obvious that she was a shit mage at best. All the whispers and the pity- everybody walking on eggshells when she lost again.

How nobody wanted to be on the losing team.

Not that they'd said that to her face, but she could be very quiet when she wanted to be, and when they thought she wasn't around no one bothered to lower their voices.

Fuck- they didn't even bother to put her name down in the betting pool last year.

Seemed like everyone had accepted this as a lost cause except for her.

Maybe… maybe it was for the best.

There were plenty of people who weren't S-Class, the only shame would be that it took her this long to figure it out.

This would be her last try. And when she lost… when she inevitably lost again then she was going to take a break.

She had joined the guild so young that she had never stood on her own two feet. She had never taken the time to explore the world around her and see what it had to offer.

She could pick a direction and just run. Sleep under the stars and not worry about anyone else but her. She could learn twenty languages just because she could. She could join a ballet company and go pro- dance for the rest of her life.

She could do anything she wanted.

Maybe she could even re-learn how to be happy.

That settled it. If ( _when_ ) she lost the trials again she would leave the guild, and then she would go wherever the wind took her.

oOOOOo

Three years.

Three years wasted on a job that had cost him an arm, a leg, and his pride.

Three years since he had been home, since he had seen his baby.

Seemed like his poor girl just had the worst luck- missing out on S-Class another three times. Well, this year was another chance, maybe everything would finally work out.

Right now, as he looked across the hall to see the wild, vivacious, outspoken young woman his little girl had become… she'd grown up. While he was off chasing dragons, she had become a leader, a role-model, a drinking buddy, and her talents as a mage had grown.

And he had missed all of it.

A flash from the corner of his eye caught his attention- the blonde girl who Natsu had become so close to- Lucy.

Lucy who was apparently also close to Cana.

He spoke before he thought it through," Nice to meet you- Lucy, right?" He said to the surprised girl, who quickly shook off her surprise.

"That's right." She said with a nod," And you're Gildarts."

"That's right." He said with a smile, before asking a very stupid question," So Lucy- you're pretty close to Cana, right?"

The blonde blinked, her brown eyes visibly displaying her confusion," Um, I guess so. Why?"

"Oh no reason." He said casually, before giving her a nod," Have a nice night."

When he laid down to sleep that night, he pulled the faded pictures out from their place over his heart.

Where had the time gone?

oOOOOo

"I owe you one." Cana said gratefully, happily snuggling into the borrowed blanket," If you hadn't found me, I would've frozen my tits off out there."

"No problem- now are you finally going to tell me what's been going on with you?" Lucy asked, in that concerned voice that made Cana feel all warm and fuzzy inside- like the blonde actually gave a crap about her.

Oh well, wasn't like the other girl hadn't heard it by now." This will be my fifth trial. Four times and I've never been able to go all the way. Because I suck."

"Don't say that!" Lucy, sweet, gentle Lucy who had probably never said a bad thing against anyone in her life," Just because you haven't made it yet doesn't mean that you won't."

The brunette shook her head, giving the blonde a smile that was just as exhausted as she felt," This is going to be my last try. If I don't make it this year, I'm going to leave for good."

"But- Cana lots of people aren't S-Class- "

"Well I don't want to be like them okay!" The brunette raged, tears beginning to flood her eyes. "It's not just about S-Class."

Lucy looked at her, all concern and desire to comfort her," Then what is it about?" What could be so important that it turned her friend, who was wild and confident and self-assured in a way that Lucy wished that she could be, into the emotional wreck sitting before her.

For a moment, the card mage considered getting her clothes and leaving that question unanswered, but after so many years of keeping this bottled up… it would be nice to let it all out.

"Do you know why I drink?" She asked and she could see how that question threw the other girl off," I drink, because when I don't, I start to feel. And I don't like what I feel. I drink because it used to be the only thing that dulled the pain and made me feel happy, not that it works that well anymore." She said with a derisive snort.

Pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders she continued," Its not about S-Class, it never really was. It was about pride and confidence- two things I wish I still had. It was about proving myself to the guild- that the little girl they took pity on was strong enough to repay their kindness. But _every single year_ \- "Cana cut herself off, taking deep breaths to try and steady herself.

"They never say it where they think I can hear. 'Poor Cana, she just doesn't know when to quit', 'I hope she doesn't ask me to be her partner- I don't want to be on the losing team', 'Think she'll get the hint this year?'. Every. Single. Year. I hear this. Every. Single. Year. And I can't keep pretending like it doesn't hurt." She finally gave up and let the tears fall, not looking at the horrified Lucy.

She whispered," I have to be S-Class, it's the only way I'll be able to prove myself. And maybe if I finally make S-Class… maybe I'll finally be okay again."

She'd never said this out loud before, had never had anyone willing to listen. The brunette finally faced the blonde, whose jaw was slack and staring at her in an odd mixture of shock and horror.

"Now do you understand?" Cana asked hoarsely," This is why, if I don't make S-Class, I'm quitting the guild for good."

"Cana, please let me be your partner!" Lucy blurted out, grabbing her friend's hands," Fairy Tail just wouldn't be the same without you!"

The brunette stared at her, naked vulnerability painted across her face before giving the tiniest nod," Thank you."

oOOOOo

Later that week, while the two partners were taking a break from their intense training regime, Lucy finally remember the odd exchange between herself and Gildarts.

"Hey Cana- are you and Gildarts close or something?" The blonde asked curiously, getting a confused blink from the brunette.

"Um- I don't even think we've ever even had a conversation." Cana answered," Why?"

Lucy shook her head," Its just- a few weeks ago he asked me about you." She explained making the confusion in Cana's brain grow.

"Why would he ask you about me?" The card mage asked incredulously.

"He just said something like, 'hey you're close with Cana right'? I just told him that we were friends and asked why he wanted to know, but he just brushed me off."

Cana was curious but decided to let it go," Oh well, not like it really matters. If he wants to know something about me, he can come ask me himself."

oOOOOo

How had this happened?

Cana was still trying to piece this mess together in her mind.

Why- just when everything had been starting to go right for her- had Grimoire Heart (of all fucking people) decided to attack the island?

Lucy had been like a beacon of positive energy that convinced her to give this her all. Had convinced her that maybe S-Class wasn't a pipe dream after all, the blonde was like a cheerleader without the pom poms (actually now that she thought about it… Lucy had been really good with those pom poms and had been really hot in that outfit… definitely something worth exploring later, you know, if they didn't die).

Then the freaks had all attacked in droves.

The kamikaze soldiers had been hard enough, not to mention a serious drain on her power reserves, but then the fucking goat showed up out of nowhere- and was apparently a celestial spirit too, go figure.

Then she, Lucy, and Gray had been forced to leave Loke behind (if that idiot had died, Cana had been fully prepared to bring him back just so that she could kill him herself).

Once Lucy had gotten confirmation that he was alright but wouldn't be coming back for a bit due to injuries, they had finally decided to calm down and try and puzzle out what the fuck was happening.

"How could he!" Gray yelled in indignation," He promised to help me become S-Class and now he's flaking out on me?!"

"You're seriously still thinking about the S-Class trials?" Cana asked incredulously; did she want to become S-Class? Yes, of course she did, but they had bigger problems than the fucking trials right now!

"Maybe you can take being a five time loser, but I can't." Gray snapped before slapping a hand over his mouth, eyes wide, as he realized exactly what he'd just said, all sound in the clearing dying.

"Cana- I didn't mean- "He frantically tried to apologize (why had he just said that? He usually beat up other people for saying shit like that- why had he just hit right where he knew she hurt the most?!).

The brunette raised a hand that instantly silenced him," Don't apologize, you didn't say anything that wasn't true." Though she was stone-faced, on the inside the fragile self esteem that had been slowly rebuilding shattered like spun glass. Gray was like a brother to her, the only person that had even known a fraction of what she was going through. But… he said 'five' not 'four'… it took all the superior acting skills she had developed over the years to keep from visibly breaking down.

"You know what?" She said in a calm she most definitely didn't feel," It might be for the best if we split up from here- we can cover more ground this way." The boy that she considered her brother didn't believe she had what it took to be S-Class… she loved Gray dearly but right now she couldn't even look at him.

The ice wizard didn't try to fight," Yeah, if you think that's best." The stripper couldn't think of anything to say in his defense, if he was Cana… if he was Cana then he would never, ever, speak to him ever again. One thoughtless comment and he'd destroyed almost ten years of friendship. He felt like a monster.

Lucy looked between the two of them with wide eyes as she tried to think of something to say to break the tension, but… even with emotions running high that was unforgivable. Maybe Gray didn't know just how badly wounded Cana was, didn't know how hard it was for the brunette to get out of bed in the morning, but he had to have known that saying 'five' instead of 'four' would be like stabbing Cana in the heart.

She loved both of them, but Cana needed her more right now.

So even though every single one of them knew splitting up was among the stupidest decisions they could possibly make, they went their separate ways- Lucy and Cana heading in one direction and Gray heading away from them.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Cana finally managed to think of a new topic. "So, you said you figured out where the grave was?" She asked curiously, desperately trying to distract herself ( _maybe you can take being a five time loser, but I can't_ ). Right now, she didn't give a flying fuck about S-Class or the First Master's grave, but she needed a distraction.

Lucy blinked before remembering her earlier train of thought," Oh right!" She said brightly." You see I was trying to figure out where the grave was- so I started thinking about words that were associated with death, but I couldn't find one that was six letters- "

"Why would it have to be six letters?" The brunette asked in confusion.

Lucy didn't miss a beat," Because of the time limit! So, I kept thinking about it and I finally landed upon 'demise'." Here the blonde traced the word into the dirt. "See what stands out?"

"No." The brunette said without hesitation.

The celestial wizard tapped the letter 'E'," 'Demise' has the letter 'E' twice- remember how all of the paths had letters? I'm willing to bet my rent money that the grave is at the end of path E." She said triumphantly.

Cana gaped at the blonde for a moment. "Lucy," she said reverently," Your brain is amazing."

The blonde blushed and was about to comment when all of a sudden there was a loud crash from behind them. Both girls jerked toward the sound, but a long tail whipped from between the trees faster than they could react, sending both of them flying.

Just before Lucy hit the ground, she wondered what they had done to offend whatever gods existed, because there was no other explanation for why everything kept getting progressively worse.

oOOOOo

Cana's first thought when regained consciousness was that she had probably overdone it. Then she remembered where she was and everything that happened, after that she _wished_ that she had overdone it and the whole day had been nothing but a gin-fueled nightmare.

Slowly the card mage felt out her body, easing herself up and trying to figure out if she'd broken anything- which she surprisingly hadn't.

Her second thought was 'what the fuck hit me'? As the memory of the long tail crashing through the trees, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying.

Her third thought came when she realized the blonde ball of optimism was nowhere to be found: 'shit'.

The card mage staggered to her feet with some degree of difficulty (gin fueled nightmare… how much gin would she have to drink in order to dream this up?), "LUCY!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she scanned the surrounding area.

Just her luck- nowhere she recognized.

"LUCY! I WENT THROUGH YOUR UNDERWEAR DRAWER!"

Silence.

Okay if there was no outraged reaction to _that_ then the blonde was well and truly not in hearing distance.

She had to be okay though. Because she cheered the emotional mess that was Cana Alberona on her good days on and held her hand when she cried and helped her on this fools errand because she didn't want her to leave the guild.

Someone who had been that good to her couldn't just die.

All she had to do was find her and then it would be proven that such a good person couldn't die.

The brunette made her first shaky steps down the weird tunnel she'd somehow wound up in, gradually regaining her gait as she kept going. There had to be an exit here somewhere and if she kept walking, she'd find it sooner or later.

Or this could be like that fucked up mission she'd been on a few years ago and she was already in the stomach of some giant monster and just didn't know it (getting puked out was _**not fun**_ ). Or like that other time when she'd been in that other monster's ear canal and didn't know it. Or that other time she'd been swallowed and had _completely_ know it and ended up having to-

Fuck- she'd gotten swallowed or ended up in the orifices of monsters a lot during her career as mage.

After walking for what felt like hours the card mage was finally rewarded with a literal light at the end of the tunnel. With no small amount of relief she bolted the last few steps towards freedom and was almost blinded by the light (please, please, please let this be some kind of light source and not have her be dead and not know it).

When her eyes finally adjusted, Cana glanced towards the light source, and for a moment just stared in open disbelief at the sight of what could only be the grave of Fairy Tail's First Master: Mavis Vermillion.

(Why was it on fire though? Was it supposed to be on fire?)

Oh, the irony- she'd just inadvertently won the S-Class trials.

Cana started laughing. At first just a small hysterical giggle that quickly became an ugly bitter laugh of someone who had finally gotten the joke the universe had been trying to tell them.

She- the dregs of Fairy Tail, the pathetic card mage, the lost cause, the girl who couldn't take a hint, who was only good at drinking- had just won the S-Class trials by making it to the grave first. The second she stopped giving a shit about becoming S-Class, when she'd all but forgotten the reason they were even on the island to begin with, when she'd finally accepted that she would be the butt of every joke as the five-time loser of Fairy Tail- only then had she actually won.

Her guild family scattered, one of the most powerful dark guilds in existence systematically picking them off like zits, her partner nowhere to be found, and Cana won the game she had decided not to play.

It was like a pensioner finally getting the elusive 'bingo' after decades of playing the game, only for the reward to be 'the spirit of persistence'.

She got what she wanted but there was no point in celebrating.

At some point her deranged laughter had transformed into hysterical sobs.

All of her friends could be dead for all she knew. Grimoire Heart could've put their heads on spikes as gory decorations. This beautiful island that she loved and hated so much was now a battleground.

She'd gotten what she wanted, but she'd lost what she'd had.

She'd had it really good now that she thought about it.

Fairy Tail hadn't had to take in the little orphan girl who had followed their Master home like a lost puppy. They didn't have to feed her, educate her, clothe her, and give her a family. But they had. She had such an amazing family, she had Master who was the closest thing she had to a father, Laxus before he went off the deep end had been one of her closest friends, Macao who she still had that stupid crush on despite knowing that nothing would ever come of it, Wakaba who always went to her recitals and always brought flowers to give to her afterwards, prickly Porlyusica who wasn't so bad once you got to know her. Elfman, Mira, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, Evergreen, Erza, Juvia, Levy, Gray, Loke- all of her friends who she loved more than anything in the world.

To so many people Fairy Tail was just a destructive, dysfunctional band of drunkards and morons- but to her it was family, it was home.

Her mind flashed back to that day so many years ago.

_You said Fairy Tail was like a family, since I don't have one anymore, can I join yours?_

_Well, I guess I'll just have to tell my children they have a new sister from now on._

Her family had been so good to her and all she could do was let them down.

She was pulled from her downward spiral by a chirping sound and pulled out the 'Lucy' card. The chibi-blonde was jumping and squeaking 'help'!

Lucy was in trouble.

Her friend who believed in her was in trouble.

Her family who she loved so deeply and desperately was in trouble.

Cana turned toward the glowing grave, moving on instinct, and thrust her arm into the yellow fire.

A voice began to whisper in her head, soft, feminine, gentle, _'Why do you get stronger- for what is the reason you fight?'_

"I fight because I need to protect my friends! To protect the family I love so much!" The brunette screamed, tears still running down her face as her arm burned," I don't care if I'm never S-Class, I don't care if I die- please give the strength I need to protect them! I can't do it alone! This guild took in a little girl who wanted a family and it's time that I repay that kindness!"

With a bright flash, the fire of the grave died, and Cana fell backwards staring at the new tattoo that had been burned into her skin, and marveling at the knowledge that had been implanted into her brain.

Fairy Glitter.

One of her guild's Three Grand Fairy Spells.

The power she needed in order to protect them, so that she could thank them all for the love they had given her.

Card in hand, she bolted.

Running across fallen trees, sliding down rocky cliffs- she could do this.

She had been so stupid to think something as insignificant as a title would heal her- it was up to her to make her own happiness. Only she had the power to control her life. And now, thanks to Master Mavis, she now had the power to protect those who she loved.

She had better get her ass in gear- it was time to repay twelve years of kindness.

oOOOOo

Lucy couldn't breathe.

The pure gravity pressing down on her was forcing the air from her lungs and she could feel herself quickly losing consciousness.

"Tell me- where is Fairy Glitter?" The man demanded once again, not even giving them a chance to respond before once again increasing the pressure holding them down.

All those others had been impossibly strong- but this guy was on a totally different level. They couldn't win this one, not with all the stupid luck in the world could they hope to win this one.

"ARE YOU THE LIMPDICK SON OF A BITCH I NEED TO SQUASH?!"

Lucy's eyes snapped open and she managed to look up to see Cana standing in all of her furious glory.

Cana had always been beautiful, but right now she was truly magnificent.

"Cana!" The blonde yelled happily.

"She's okay!" Wendy echoed, thrilled that her big sister figure was alright.

"Better late than never I suppose!" Carla said in relief from where she was pinned down.

The brunette leaped down, a mark on her arm beginning to glow.

She didn't even make it half-way down before she was crushed under a wave of gravity.

"It can't be?" The bastard with the weird hairstyle said. "You're the one with Fairy Glitter?"

Lucy blinked in shock- how had Cana gotten a hold of something like that? Where would she have found it?

The card mage forced herself up, a vicious smirk on her face as she stared down the man who was hurting her friends," Yeah what's it to ya?"

"Give it to me!" He demanded a mad glint in his eye as he used his magic to hoist the brunette into the air, crushing her body like a tin can. "A novice like you doesn't deserve such power!"

"Yeah and neither does a little bitch like you!" Cana said, flashing the psychopath a smile that was all teeth," Wouldn't do you any good anyway- it can only be used by a member of our guild."

"Shows what a pathetic little retch like you knows," The man said dismissively (what was his name? Not like it mattered but she was morbidly curious)," All forms of magic branched out from a single origin- at its core all spells are the same. I would not need to be a part of your pathetic little guild to make use of it."

A single type of magic? That sounded really familiar for some reason…

"Tell me did you think you were capable of wielding that spell?"

"You have a problem with it cocksucker?" The brunette snarled, letting out a shriek as the gravity surrounding contracted harder, contorting her body as it did.

"An advanced spell that utilizes bands of pure light to strike down those who its wielder deems an enemy- yes I take issue with a pathetic little girl thinking she could control such power." He barked taking great satisfaction at the card mage's pain.

"FIRE DRAGON: ROAR!" Natsu screamed releasing his signature move onto the freak, shattering the rocky ground.

Bluenote started, whirling around to block the incoming fire and send the pink haired pyro soaring.

"CANA NOW!" Natsu yelled as he soared.

"Thanks Natsu! This little girl's about to rock your world! This is what a member of Fairy Tail can do!" Cana screamed, raising her glowing arm up to the clouds." ITS TIME TO ASSMEBLE, O RIVER OF LIGHT GUIDED BY FAIRIES- SHINE YOUR LIGHT SO I MAY VANQUISH THE FANGS OF WICKEDNESS: **FAIRY** **GLITTER** _ **!** "_

For a moment it looked like it was going to work, but a man like Bluenote Stinger was never one to be defeated easily.

Just before the bands of light could constrict, he sent a blast of pure gravity towards the ground- shattering the stone and sending everyone off their feet. The sudden loss of stability was enough to break Cana's focus for that one crucial second it took for the spell to fail.

The brunette stared at the smug man walking toward her, this was it. She'd brought a fucking nuke to a gun fight and she still failed. She was still too pathetic to protect her family, even with the power of Fairy Glitter.

"Another day and I still didn't get to fly." The man said imperiously as he stared down at the defeated card mage like she was dirt on his boots," Perhaps killing you will be enough to lift my spirits."

"CANA RUN!" Lucy screamed desperately.

Then, like some kind of avenging angel, Gildarts appeared just in time to block the strike aimed for the brunette. The red haired man bared his teeth viciously as he stared down this soon to be dead man who dared to try and touch his Cana.

"Gildarts!"

"We're saved!"

"Thank God!"

"Get out of here." The Ace ordered, not taking his eyes off of his opponent. "Get Master someplace safe- I can handle this!"

"What?!" Cana said suddenly, jerking her mind out of its downward spiral, Natsu was also voicing his dislike for that plan as the brunette continued," No, let us help- "

"Rebecca." Gildarts said getting a shocked look from the card mage," I won't say it again- get out of here. This guy won't even make me break a sweat."

"How do you-? "

"Get out of here- _now_!"

With one last lingering look at the red-haired man, Cana did as she was told running off as fast as her aching body could move, desperately trying to keep up with the others.

"Let's fly." Bluenote said staring down the crash mage, only to take an involuntary step back as he met the icy fury of the other mage.

"You've got some nerve." Gildarts growled," Those kids pushed themselves to the limit trying to make this world a better place than we'd left them- and then all of you come here and trampled all over it. That alone would be enough to make me want to beat you until there was nothing left but a bloody smear- but that girl you tried to hurt?" The crash mage released a burst of pure magic energy, making his enemy's knees cave under the pressure." _She's my daughter_. As long as I have life left in me there's nothing I wouldn't do, no evil I can't conquer- I'd move Heaven, Earth, and Hell in order to protect her. Now get up- I will not kill a man on his knees."

oOOOOo

It was over.

Grimoire Heart had been defeated, they were all still alive, Laxus was back and no longer a douche, and this was the part where they all sit back and sing kumbaya and live happily ever after.

But something was still bugging Cana.

Gildarts called her 'Rebecca'. A name that Cana was almost certain that even the people she was close to didn't know about. How did someone who she'd barely ever spoken to know her real name?

"What's going on Cana?" Lucy asked curiously from the other side of the hot spring," You've been really quiet."

The brunette opened her mouth to wave the other girl off, when she stopped and thought about it. She had no real reason not to say anything, and Lucy could see things that everyone else was blind to.

"It's about Gildarts."

The blonde raised an eyebrow," What about him?"

"Its- do you remember when he showed up to fight that Bluenote guy?"

"I don't think I could forget if I tried." The other girl answered honestly.

Cana mulled over her thoughts trying to figure out how to phrase it, finally settling on," He called me Rebecca."

Lucy blinked," He got your name your name wrong?" She got even more confused when the card mage shook her head.

"That's the thing the Lu- he _didn't_ get it wrong." The violet eyed girl said," And that's the thing I can't figure out."

"Wait- your name's not Cana?" The celestial wizard asked in shock.

"'Cana' is a shortened version my middle name." The brunette patiently explained," My first name is Rebecca- thing is no one in the guild knows about that."

"But Gildarts called you Rebecca." The blonde said, understanding why Cana would be bothered by this.

"Yeah." The card mage sighed, leaning back against the rocks.

After a few moments of silence Lucy finally piped up with a suggestion.

"Maybe you should ask him." She offered," I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this."

"You're probably right." The other girl conceded," I'll talk to him later."

oOOOOo

"Try not to look so excited Natsu." Gildarts said snarkily to the bored pinkette beside him.

"This is just so boring." The dragon slayer groaned.

"That's because you just don't appreciate it!" The Ace said passionately," Fishing is part of a man's spiritual journey!"

"Oh, it's a journey alright- down my throat and into my belly!" A certain blue cat said happily, drooling at the sight of the half-full basket.

"Eating the fish isn't the important part!" The older man said in indignation," Its about the thrill of using your hunting instincts! Becoming one with mother nature- the name of the game is survival of the fittest!"

Natsu let out a yelp as his fishing pole was almost tugged out of his hand," I got a bite!"

"That's the spirit! Now reel it in, _gently_ \- "

"Hey guys!" The celestial wizard called.

"Not now!" Gildarts said, not even bothering to turn around," Natsu is about to discover the true spirit of fishing- so don't interrupt us."

"Actually Gildarts I have something I want to talk to you about."

The Ace froze, all thought of fishing and journeys flying out of his mind as he slowly turned face his magnificent little girl. Who, for once, was actually wearing clothes.

The outfit combined with the way her hair was tied up… for a second he thought that it was Cornelia standing in front of him.

Once again, his baby girl had been cheated of her S-Class title. He'd actually left the island because he had been afraid of having to watch both of his kids fight it out for the win and hadn't wanted the agony of trying to decide who to cheer for. And then everything had gone to hell and he'd barely made it in time to save her.

"Oh um- "He floundered trying to figure out what to say," What- what do you wanna know Cana?"

For some reason this made his little girl raise an eyebrow," Oh, so I'm 'Cana' now? You called me 'Rebecca' before."

And his brain jerked to a stop as he remembered that in the heat of the moment he had called his baby girl by her given name. A name that he shouldn't even know. How did he respond? What- should he-?

And he came to a decision, turning over to where Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were watching the conversation," Could you guys give us a few minutes? This… this is something that Cana and I need to talk about alone."

"We do?" The violet eyed girl asked in confusion.

"We do." He confirmed with a nod.

The peanut gallery stared at them blankly for a moment, each of them looking from crash mage to card mage and back again, before they all slowly walked away, leaving the two standing there.

Gildarts stared at his beautiful daughter as he steeled himself- this was it. The time had finally come. So why couldn't he say anything?

Cana was staring at the older man with an expectant look on her face," We're alone now- you going to tell me why you know my real name?"

He futilely opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before reaching into the pocket of his cloak and removing the five worn photographs. With shaking hands, he handed them to the brunette and waited for her reaction.

The violet-eyed girl accepted the photographs with a raised brow, that quickly turned to open shock once she realized what she was holding.

Pictures of _her_. Pictures of her as a baby, as a toddler, as a little girl.

"What the fuck?"

Gildarts swallowed," I knew your name was Rebecca because I was the one who picked it."

"…what?"

The Ace swallowed," Your mother Cornelia used to be my wife." He said softly refusing to take his eyes off of his little girl, as he finally said the words he'd never been able to say," When she died, I went to Sugarhill because I was supposed to take custody of you- but you'd already gone to Fairy Tail with Master. Not that I knew that's where you were at the time," He said with a shaky laugh," I ran all the way back to the guild because I was planning to ask for help in finding you- I didn't know if you were dead, been kidnapped- and there you were. Reading at one of the tables." Tears were starting to build up in his eyes as he remembered the sheer relief at seeing his baby safe and sound.

"Wait- are you saying- "Cana stumbled trying to make sense of all of this crazy talk," You're my-"

Gildarts nodded quietly.

"W-what- how come you never said anything?!" She demanded- had he seen how pathetic she was? Had he not wanted the embarrassment of having a weakling like her for a kid (she was his kid- _what the fuck_ …?).

"Cana- "The Ace cut himself off taking deep shuddering breaths as he tried to calm down," I have so many enemies. Enemies that would take any opportunity to get back at me, when I saw you in person for the first time… you were so beautiful. You're still so beautiful. But back then you were tiny and delicate and all I could think about was someone hurting you to get back at me. So… I decided that you would be safer if you never knew the truth, because if no one knew that I had a baby then no one would come after you."

The brunette stared at him tears beginning to flood her eyes as everything she thought she knew about her life came crashing down. That horrible voice in the back of her head had gone silent, but she knew it would start back up later. Using this as new ammunition.

"Didn't you want me?" Cana started as that came out of her throat involuntarily.

Gildarts shot up and before she even knew it, he had wrapped his arms around her. Holding her tight to him as he began to speak," Of course I wanted you. This right here? This is all I've ever wanted. The chance to hold you, to tell you how proud I am, to tell you how much I love you. Every day I had to watch you grow up from a distance I felt a piece of my soul die. Watching as Master and Macao and Wakaba took my place in your life was worse than any torture I have ever endured. But I would do it all over again if it meant ensuring your safety.'

"Cana- all I have ever wanted to do was be part of your life. To be able to openly show you my love. To be able to brag to everyone I met about just how amazing my little girl was. How beautiful, how powerful, how brilliant, how talented, how strong- "

"You think I'm strong?" The brunette interrupted in a watery voice.

"Of course I do." The Ace said wondering why that was even a question, before he soldiered on," Cana- I know I have no right to ask this of you, but can I please become part of your life? You don't have to call me 'dad' or anything- I just- I just want us to have a relationship."

For a moment all was silent as Cana thought about her answer.

"Gildarts… I don't really know what to think about this, about you- but," she took a deep breath," But I am open to giving this whole family thing a shot."

That was-

"That's more than I've ever hoped for." He sobbed as he pulled her closer.

Before she finally allowed herself to be pulled into the atmosphere, Cana had one more thing to say.

"Thank you for saving me… Dad."

Gildarts let out a half sob as his dream finally came true," For you I would move Heaven, Earth, and Hell- there is nothing I wouldn't do for you Cana. I love you to the moon and back, and please don't ever forget that sweetheart."

"I won't Dad."

A perfect end to a perfect day. No one may have gotten what they thought they wanted, but in the end, they'd all gotten what they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then, of course, Acnologia shows up and everything goes to hell. So what did you guys think?
> 
> This fic turned into something I never imagined I was capable of and I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. If you are wondering the bit with Cana following Makarov home- this is a combination of not asking the right questions and kids not thinking everything through. She was blinded in the moment of the glamor and of the loss of her mother still being fresh that she acted on impulse and didn't think of everyone in Sugarhill. Makarov should have been more specific and not just assumed by her saying she didn't have parents meant that no one would be looking for her.
> 
> I have always hated how Cana betrays Lucy to go off on her own, mostly because it was so out of character. She's not stupid, they all kind of knew that Makarov had tried to fight the airship- she knew that he wouldn't be there yet for some reason decided that he would still be judging the trials with everything going on. This is more in-character as far as I'm concerned. And if you're wondering about Cana's depression- depression is largely a genetic trait, it doesn't matter how charmed a person's life is or how horrible, anyone can develop depression and it will still be valid. In this case, Cana had a pretty good life without the burden, but due to circumstances she developed the disease she already had the potential for- does that make any sense? Also- she's not magically better, its going to take time and effort, but its a start and now she'll have Gildarts to help her on the way.
> 
> This is also the birth of a whole new type of story: all the ways Cana never found out she had a father. Things are starting to get crazy for me, so updates may skip a week here and there but I will do my best.


	53. Warpath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Cana gets blackout wasted for the first time and accidentally lets part of the secret slip, too bad she passed out before she could tell them that the father doesn't know he's a father.
> 
> Original prompt: Cana accidentally tells Erza she's an orphan looking for her Fairy Tail dad and all the girls around her age assault the guild like an invasion of angry bears. Erza, Mira, Lisanna- they are all out for blood. The guild is scared, and Cana is very confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For shitfiredragon, one of several to come! Every time I get a story prompt for you its always gold! I tried to pull off a drunken slur but it was a lot harder than I expected!

"Seven barrels of beer on the wall, seven barrels of beer! Take one down, drink it down- six more barrels of beer on the wall. Sing it wib' me Erza!"

"I most certainly will not!" Erza snapped furiously at the wasted card mage, who pouted like a child.

"No fun!" Cana wined, before tripping over her own feet and inadvertently throwing all her weight onto the redhead's shoulder. "Feet don't work!" She giggled happily.

Erza's eye twitched violently, but she managed to restrain herself from doing something she might regret later and continued dragging the drunk girl home.

There had been a long-standing legend among the guild that master had a private stash of high-grade alcohol hidden somewhere in the guildhall. Time and again bored wizards tried to find the elusive stash and were unsuccessful: until tonight that is.

Cana, who had gone down into the basement to grab a bottle of bleach, somehow managed to stumble across the treasure trove of alcohol. And then proceeded to drink it.

_All of it._

Enough whiskey, scotch, bourbon, and beer to last a large city _eight years_ , and she finishes it all in the span of an hour. And somehow, she hadn't died from alcohol poisoning (yet).

Which led to Erza's current predicament: as Cana's friend it was unfortunately her responsibility not only to make sure she got back to Fairy Hills, but also to make sure she didn't choke on her own vomit and die.

She was in for a long night.

The brunette was belligerent, clumsy, and completely unrepentant of her actions. Actually, Erza was surprised that she was even conscious. At least they had made it back to Fairy Hills, the other girls thankfully having waited up for them.

"HI GUYS!" Cana screamed right into Erza's ear.

"Cana! Honestly-!" Erza snarled, completely finished at that point, when a mocking laugh sounded from one of her least favorite people.

"Honestly porky- you can't even handle one little drunk girl?" Mira said, a smirk on her lips as she watched her rival struggle.

"I'd like to see you- "The armored wizard started, before being cut off by the resident bookworm.

"Enough of that, both of you!" Levy snapped," Can't you to just save it for later- Cana's drunk enough that she could potentially die and you two won't stop fighting!"

The rivals glared at each other but were just about to call a truce, when a tiny little voice interrupted them.

"…die?"

Everyone turned, seeing Cana's startled face, apparently the severity of her situation making it through her smashed brain. The brunette turned towards the redhead she was leaning on, looking slightly to the left of Erza's actual face, once again speaking up," … am I gonna die? I don' wanna die!"

"Of course you're not going to die Cana!" Lisanna reassured her," We're all going to make sure that doesn't happen. But you have to be more responsible in the future!" She said in reproach, hands on her hips," Drinking that much alcohol is dangerous and could have serious consequences- you have to be more careful!"

The brunette's violet eyes welled up with tears, before the water works started. The girl sobbing desperately and clinging onto Erza, burying her face in the armored wizard's neck, her entire body shaking from emotional strain.

This had to be the most alarming thing that had happened this evening.

Cana was not the type of person who cried- _ever_.

She broke eight bones and was in a body cast for a month- only mildly cranky. A lacrima movie about a dying child experiencing life with a puppy- nothing. She loses out on the S-Class trials- totally fine.

"Um- are- are you okay?!" Levy asked in alarm.

Cana's sobs broke as she tried to speak," H-he prob'ly woun't notice!" She wailed.

"Huh?" asked the She-Devil, who was completely lost at this point.

"He-he prob'ly woun't notice if I died!" The brunette repeated," Pro'ly wouln't care if he did!"

"Who wouldn't care?" Erza asked in concern, gently lowering the drunk girl to the ground and crouching next to her.

"My dad."

Two words. Two measly little words shocked all four girls stupid.

"C-Cana I thought you were an orphan like all of us." Lisanna said in confusion.

The brunette shook her head and hiccupped," Got a dad- Mama sent me to the guild to lib' wit' him."

"…hang on your Dad is in the guild?" Mira asked incredulously, becoming even more flabbergasted when Cana nodded morosely.

"Uh-huh."

"But… Cana you don't live with him."

"He doesn't care about me…" The card mage blinked rapidly, before her eyes rolled up into her head and she dropped, Erza barely catching her in time.

About twenty minutes later Cana was safely tucked into bed and sleeping off the alcohol, while a serious meeting was being held to discuss the revelations and the action they would be taking to rectify the situation.

Someone in Fairy Tail was a deadbeat dad- this could not be allowed to stand.

oOOOOo

It seemed like any ordinary morning in the Fairy Tail guildhall.

Birds were chirping, people were laughing, and the booze was already flowing- just your average day in the guild.

Then the doors were almost smashed off their hinges with the force that they were kicked open with.

Everyone turned to see what had happened, and an involuntary chill went down their spines when they saw the four youngest female members of the guild.

Erza and Mira were scary on their good days, but Levy and Lisanna?

They were all looking at the gathered crowd like they were filth.

"Levy, Lisanna- lock the doors." Mira ordered viciously, to which the younger girls immediately complied.

"Girls- is everything alri-? "Makarov started, unsure why he was feeling so nervous, when four pairs of burning eyes all turned their fury on him at once.

" _Sit down and shut up!_ "

Makarov Dreyar had been the Master of the Fairy Tail guild for over forty years, had been in countless fights and had stared down monsters most couldn't even imagine. So, what did a man of his power and experience do?

He sat down and shut up.

All that experience had taught him that there were times when surrender was the better part of valor.

Erza turned her gaze back to the guild at large," That goes for all of you." She snarled, feeling slightly smug when everyone raced to the nearest seat and stared at her in respect and admiration (read: absolute terror). She turned toward the bluenette," Levy- tie them up."

The bookworm nodded firmly and called out," Solid Script: Iron Chains!"

Suddenly every male member of the guild found that they couldn't move a muscle from where they were chained to their seats.

"Hey, what the-!"

"What's the big idea!"

"Levy! The fuck you trying to- "

"SHUT UP!" Mira screamed, silencing all of the protests near instantaneously. The She- Devil then began to walk up and down the lines of her restrained guildmates. "Someone in here has hurt Cana very badly. Someone has broken her ability to trust and has made her feel like if she died, they wouldn't even care."

"Is she okay!?" An alarmed voice asked in concern. The four girls turned to where Gray was restrained. Gray, who was quite possibly the closest person in the guild to Cana.

"Tell me Gray- what do you know about Cana's family?" Lisanna asked seriously, far from her usual cheerful demeanor.

The half-naked boy blinked in confusion," Um- she doesn't have any, right? I mean I don't think she ever mentioned any?" As the murderous aura surrounding the girls grew, he decided to ask again," What is going on? Is Cana alright? Did somebody hurt her?"

Erza growled like a feral dog as she once again glared at the assembled males," Physically? She's fine. Mentally? Not so much."

Mira picked up where her rival left off," Someone in this room is a father who has deliberately ignored his daughter to the point where she believes that he would not even notice if she died. As her friends you understand why we cannot let this stand."

"Wait what- "

"You heard her!" Lisanna snarled," We're giving the guilty party one chance to step forward and accept the beating he has coming to him- if he doesn't come forward we will have to solve this the hard way."

Levy started the countdown," Five. Four. Three. Two…." She scanned the room trying to pick out the guilty party among them and then finished," One."

Erza loudly cracked her knuckles and grinned in a way that exposed way too many teeth," Let's get started Ladies."

oOOOOo

Five hours.

Five hours of blood, sweat, and tears.

And nobody would take responsibility!

To say Lisanna was frustrated would be putting it lightly. They had tried to be nice- had given the pathetic excuse for a human being who hurt their friend an opportunity to come forward- but even now after all they'd put them through, he was still refusing to come forward!

Cana didn't deserve this.

She had been in Fairy Tail longer than almost anyone. She was always there when somebody needed a friend or a big sister. On days when Mira was on jobs, Cana let her sleep in her room just in case she got scared.

And this whole time she had been suffering in silence as her own father neglected her to the point where she wasn't sure if he would notice if she died.

Nobody deserved to suffer like that.

Least of all someone who spent all of her free time making sure that everybody was taken care of. Cana would wheedle you until you opened up about whatever was wrong and then she gave you advice to make you feel better. She was always there…

Now it was time to return the favor.

If it meant hacking off limbs in order to get results- so be it.

There was nothing Lisanna wasn't prepared to do for her family.

oOOOOo

"PLEASE NO! I SWEAR ITS NOT ME- _STOP SQUEEZING_ -!"

"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT?!" Mira roared at the now sobbing Reedus.

Still no results since they had taken things up a notch- then Levy froze as the proverbial lightning bolt struck her," Guild law 567-B." She said dumbly, eyes wide as the other girls turned to her in confusion.

"What?"

"Guild law 567-B states that the minimum age anyone can join a guild is ten years old, with exceptions made for extenuating circumstances. This is to prevent guilds from taking advantage of kids and making child soldiers."

Lisanna was pretty sure she wasn't the only confused one," Yeah, and?"

"Cana was six when she joined the guild."

Levy then pivoted in place to face where Master was being stretched on an improvised rack," Master- in order for Cana to stay you had to jump through a lot of hoops, right?"

The old man let out a wheeze as the ropes pulling him in two directions gave another harsh pull, but nodded in confirmation," That's *wheeze* right. I had to legally adopt her in order to *hack* satisfy the laws."

This got some mildly surprised looks from the entire room, that Cana's situation wasn't normal wasn't a secret, but they hadn't known that Master had to adopt her in order for her to stay.

"That's cool and all, but why is it relevant?" Mira asked in confusion.

Levy swung her head around to face the She-Devil," Because in order to adopt someone you need to file a lot of paperwork. All of which is probably in Cana's file."

Still confused Lisanna pointed out," I still don't understand what you're getting at."

"This includes her birth certificate."

That did it.

Everyone in the room was struck dumb.

Birth certificate.

All the tactics the girls had been using and they could have just checked her file.

The guildmaster let out another cough as the ropes tightened," Cana's file is my office." He said with some difficulty," Under R.A. Alberona."

That made all the girls throw him confused stares.

"R.A.?" Erza asked in curiosity.

The old man nodded and let out another wheeze," Her real name is 'Rebecca'."

That made everyone in the room- torture victims included- blink in surprise.

You think you know somebody.

Mira shook off her surprise," Levy- go get it." She ordered getting a firm nod from the bluenette, the bookworm immediately darting up the stairs to the small office.

After a few minutes of silence, Levy's panicked voice was heard," Uh- guys? Guys?! I- you- you guys need to see this!"

The girls shared a look and bolted up the stairs themselves.

When they entered the office they were immediately greeted with the wide-eyed stare of the bookworm in the middle of a panic attack.

Erza took the girl at the shoulders," Levy what is it?" She asked in concern but the bluenettes only reaction was to point to the open file on the table, a birth certificate laying on top.

It only took a second for the other girls to realize exactly what had put their friend in this state as they all stared open-mouthed in astonishment.

Cana's father was Gildarts Clive.

oOOOOo

The Ace of Fairy Tail. The Strongest Wizard in Fiore. The Legendary Crash Mage.

And apparently also a deadbeat dad.

Levy had been privately betting on Laxus' father Ivan, because ignoring his daughter seemed like the kind of thing he'd do- hell, he already ignored Laxus plenty.

But Gildarts?

Yeah, she was pretty confident that none of them had seen this coming.

All the Fairy Tail girls were in varying states of shock.

Erza was twitching as she repeatedly examined the document- twisting it this way and that, holding it up to the light as thought the name would spontaneously change. It didn't seem like Mira and Lisanna were breathing… Levy should probably do something about that. Turning blue like that probably wasn't healthy…

Mira was the first to snap out of her shock.

"Do you think it's because she's a girl?" The sudden question made everyone turn to the She-Devil, their confused looks forcing her to elaborate." Gildarts is always hanging out with Natsu and acts like he's his dad- do you think he wanted a boy? It might explain why he ignores Cana- "

"But Gildarts wouldn't-"Lisanna interrupted in defense of the crash mage, only to be cut off by her sister.

"Do you have a better theory?" The eldest Strauss asked with a raised eyebrow.

The youngest futilely opened and closed her mouth, before conceding that she didn't have a better explanation.

"How could he." Erza finally said, carefully setting down the document, her eyes shadowed." You guys saw how upset Cana was- how could he treat her like this? She'd obviously do anything to please him, but he openly favors Natsu."

"That's not fair." Lisanna protested," You're saying that like it's Natsu's fault that Gildarts isn't a good dad."

The scarlet-haired girl amended herself," Of course it isn't Natsu's fault- but that doesn't mean that Cana might not see it that way. Imagine seeing your parent give the attention that you want to someone else, treat someone else as their child and ignore you: it doesn't matter that it isn't Natsu's fault- there is naturally going to be some resentment."

She was right.

Was it fair? No.

But it would be a natural reaction to seeing someone else get something you felt that you deserved. Didn't make it right, but it was understandable.

Still…

"We're still going to beat him up, right?" Levy asked the group," Cana is our friend, and no one gets to treat her like this, least of all her actual dad- we're still going to do something, right?"

All the girls stared at Levy like the bookworm had suddenly turned purple.

"Of course we're still going to do something: powerful or not he deserves to have his head beaten in. Why would you even ask that?" Mira asked incredulously, getting evil grins from the group.

Gildarts should be worried.

All the girls ran down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time and bolted out of the guildhall.

"WAIT- YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LEAVE US LIKE THIS?!"

oOOOOo

When Gildarts arrived home after a long day of boozing at every bar in Magnolia, the last thing he expected to see when he opened his door were the glares of the female half of the younger generation (no Cana though). As the door closed behind him, he felt a chill run down his spine as the piercing stares all narrowed in on him.

"Uh- hi?" He said hesitantly, becoming more confused when the glares only strengthened- even sweet little Lisanna was staring at him like she wanted to rip his head off; what the hell was going on?

"Gildarts, Cana is a very dear friend of ours." Erza stated levelly," So- when someone treats her like dirt, you understand why we would be very interested in seeking justice."

If he was confused before, he was even more so now. What did Cana have to do with whatever this was? "Um- I guess?"

Levy piped up as the murderous aura emanating from the girls strengthen," We decided that we would give you a chance to defend yourself first as opposed to later. So," Her eyes narrowed," What do you have to say for yourself?"

"What the hell is going on?" The crash mage asked incredulously," I didn't do anything to her- hell, I don't think I've ever even spoken to her!"

"Exactly." Mira growled, baring her teeth like a rabid animal.

Gildarts was alarmed, eyeing the girls like they were about to pounce, he tried to defuse the situation," Girls- what is this about? I swear I didn't do anything to her- "

"Cut the crap!" Lisanna snapped, slamming a piece of paper down onto his table," We know the truth- now explain!"

The red-haired man slowly inched forward and, keeping his hands in plain sight as he did, pulled the paper into his hands. Fighting the instinct that said not to take his eyes off the predator, he looked down at the page.

And promptly forgot how to breathe.

Rebecca Arcana Alberona

Mother: Cornelia Alberona

Father: Gildarts Clive

What the hell…?

"What- is this some kind of a joke?" He choked out in his shock (Rebecca- Conny- Cana- _what?!_ ).

The mood changed as the four exchanged confused looks.

"That's Cana's birth certificate." Erza informed him, suspicious that he might be trying to play dumb," We got it from her file ourselves. Last night while she was under the influence, she told us that she was sent to the guild to live with her father- to live with you."

Mira continued for the redhead," She started crying because her father wouldn't care if she died- you expect us to believe that you don't know what we're talking about?"

"What- I- no- "Gildarts stuttered trying to find a comprehensive thought," We never had any kids- "

"Obviously you did."

Lisanna raised a hand that silenced the crash mage's stuttering. She carefully scrutinized him before reaching her verdict," I think, that none of us are on the same page. I think we should go see if Cana's awake enough to answer questions and figure things out from there. But-"The white-haired girl pinned the man down with an icy stare," If she says you did know- prepare yourself for the worst beating of your life."

oOOOOo

Cana woke up with cotton in her mouth and a marching band playing through her head.

The brunette groaned as she buried her head back under the pillow, trying to get away from the searing light someone had left on to purposefully hit her right in the eyes (the curtains were open and the sunlight poured in).

How much did she drink?

…for that matter, what day was it?

After another hour of laying about, the brunette finally managed to force herself up.

Blinking the light out of her eyes she stumbled into the bathroom, succeeding in shocking herself into a slightly more functional state with a cold shower.

The brunette surveyed her room and made the determination that she'd probably overdone it… and by a lot judging from the blankets and pillows strewn all over her floor. The others had probably stayed to make sure she didn't die (that was so sweet of them, she'd have to thank them for it later).

Her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl.

Okay- to the guildhall we go! Maybe she could put on her best pitiful face and get some pancakes.

A few minutes into the walk to the guildhall had Cana making a resolution to start keeping food in her room. Walking hungover was a fresh hell she didn't want to repeat.

Then, upon finally reaching the guildhall, she was met with the jarring sight of her guildmates strung up and strapped down to torture racks.

"Oh my god!" She yelled and immediately raced over to the nearest person and started worked on getting them loose," What the- are you guys okay?! Were we attacked-?!"

The male members of Fairy Tail stared incredulously as the brunette babbled, before Makarov- still strapped down to the improvised rack- managed to wheeze out," Cana child- why didn't you ever mention your father was in Fairy Tail?"

Her blood ran cold," What?"

Macao piped up from where he was dangling upside down," Erza, Mira, Levy, Lisanna- they were trying to find out- "

"Tell her later- get us out of here!" Natsu yelled from where he and Gray had been welded together, Cana shoved everything to the back of her mind and went back to freeing everybody (how could they have- what hell was going on?!).

Once everybody was free, Cana was still trying to puzzle out a scenario that made all of this make sense.

This must just be an alcohol-fueled nightmare.

"Cana." She slowly turned to face Master's concerned expression," Was what they were saying true? Were you sent to Fairy Tail to live with your father?"

Fuck.

The brunette opened her mouth, not sure what she was about to say, when the doors opened once again.

As soon as her fellow female Fairies stepped through the door someone let out a high-pitched shriek and everyone was scrambling to get as far away from the girls as they could, Master actually using Cana as a human shield between him and the quartet.

"Seriously?" Cana asked incredulously, twisting to look at the old man over her shoulder.

Makarov looked her dead in the eye," Desperate times call for desperate measures child."

The card mage rolled her eyes and turned back to the others, intending to ask what was happening when her eyes locked onto Gildarts.

They had been trying to figure out- Gildarts was with- he was looking at her like-

"Fuck."

oOOOOo

With most of the guild still cowering, this gave the group of five girls and the crash mage free pick over where this conversation would take place. After picking a table in the dead center of the hall the interrogation began.

"Cana." Erza said looking at the uneasy brunette," How much do you remember from last night?"

The card mage swallowed and tried to ignore the feeling of all the eyes staring her down," Not much." She admitted quietly, her hands fidgeting in her lap as she kept her head down.

The girls shared a look, before Levy picked up where Erza left off," Last night you got really, really drunk and when you got back to Fairy Hills you started crying. You mentioned that your mother sent you to Fairy Tail to live with your father, but that you were fairly certain that if you died he wouldn't care and may not even notice."

The brunette flinched slightly as all the pieces clicked into place.

"I won't lie and say I remember last night or what I said- but the reason that Gildarts wouldn't care if I died is because until today, he didn't know he was my father."

Silence.

She got the feeling the looks on the faces behind her were probably hilarious, but right now all she could hear were the frantic whispers behind her and feel the hard stares in front of her. Cana forcefully blinked back the tears that wanted to be shed, from the humiliation of having her secret made public or from the build up of emotion she had no idea.

Gildarts broke the silence," So… you're saying that I'm really-?"

The violet-eyed girl silently nodded.

"Why- why didn't you say anything?!" He asked in a hurt voice," Wait your birth- why didn't Conny say anything?!"

Conny… well seemed like he remembered her mother after all.

Silver lining- guess there was some to this screwed up mess too.

Cana took a deep breath," My mother died when I was six and I came to Magnolia because I was looking for you. I tried to tell you who I was, but things just kept getting in the way." She finally gave up on trying to stay calm and pushed herself up, intending to make a run for it- when a firm hand closed around her arm.

She turned back to see Gildarts looking at her with the most vulnerable face she'd ever seen on him before. Before she could say anything, the crash mage was herding her up the stairs and into the Master's office.

As soon as the door closed, she opened her mouth, but he pulled her into his arms before she had the chance to say anything.

He was so warm…

"I loved your mother so much." He said, tears running down his face as he tightened his hold on her, placing her head over his heart," She left me because all I did was work. Cana- if I knew about you- "

The brunette carefully pushed him away from her and gave him a watery laugh and flashed a small smile," Don't worry- I'm the one who kept it hidden and since mom didn't say anything either- well you're the only innocent in this whole mess," She let out a shaky laugh," You don't have to worry about anything- I don't expect anything from you! Nothing has to change- "

"Cana." He gently interrupted," Everything's changed."

He took advantage of her confusion to pull her back into his arms.

"I'm not the innocent in this whole mess- you are. I should've gone after Conny, should have called, shouldn't have shoved her to the side, and I should've been there when you were born. I should've seen you take your first steps; should've taught you magic… I should've done a lot of things…" He shook all of it out of his mind and pulled his daughter (his daughter- his baby) tighter," It's not fair that we put you in this position, because as the adults we should've worked things out ourselves. I can't change the past, but I can control the present. I've got you now and I'm never letting go- so, Cana, will you give me permission to be your father?"

Cana finally stopped fighting the tears and let them run freely," You don't have to ask for what you already have."

They stayed like that for a while, two blubbering idiots clinging onto each other for dear life, and after a long while they finally calmed down.

"Well sweetheart," Gildarts said smiling down at his beautiful little girl," I think we better go face the music, I'm sure your little guard dogs are about ready to beat the door down."

Cana laughed at the mental image and nodded her head," That sounds like a good idea… Dad."

The Ace froze and began tearing up again and without warning scooped his girl up into his arms, the brunette didn't try to fight it, just settled herself against her father as he let them out of the room.

She really had to find a way to thank them for making this possible… even if their methods left a lot to be desired. Oh well, it wasn't like she wouldn't do the same for any of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time doing this one, it was so weird. I had everything planned out but I just couldn't make it happen, but then it finally did and in about five hours I got this done. I had a great time coming up with interactions and my favorite part was undoubtedly 'wait you're gonna leave us like this'. I was cracking up the whole time.
> 
> Edit because one guy asked: the guys who were too young to be candidates to be Cana's father were just restrained and weren't hurt.


	54. First Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every single year the guild's Thanksgiving meal has devolved into a free-for-all food fight. This year however, everyone is taking great pains to be on their best behavior for the children. Shame they forgot to tell the children to be on their best behavior...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially I wasn't even going to do this one, then inspiration struck. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And at this point in her life, Cana calls Laxus 'Lala'. I figured it was cute. And Enno is the girl that Macao had a crush on from the third OVA.

"Alright you brats- listen up!" Makarov yelled out over the guildhall, pleased when everyone gave him their undivided attention." Thank you. As you know, Thanksgiving is coming up and I wanted to go over the new ground rules."

"Rules?" Somebody yelled," What rules? Its Thanksgiving!"

The old man glared in the direction of the yell," Exactly- Thanksgiving is a time of celebration. Of taking the time to share a meal with your family- and you shitty brats always turn it into a warzone!" He took a deep breath and tried to stop his eye from twitching," This year there will be no fighting, no arguing, and no throwing food. You are all adults- _act like it_. I don't want my grandchildren to think its alright to behave like the lot of you!"

"Anyone who starts anything shall face punishment! You have been warned!"

oOOOOo

"Gobble, gobble." Cana babbled as she watched her mother put the finishing touches on the turkey.

Cornelia laughed," That's right sweetheart. Gobble, gobble."

The little girl clumsily put another handful of her mashed carrots into her mouth, smearing her face and bib with the vegetable mash. She was finally old enough to start feeding herself- not that much of her meal actually made it into her mouth.

"Is your lunch tasty Cana?" The mother asked as she began packing up the turkey," Are you excited for the big dinner?"

"Tur-key!" The little girl cheered happily, and then her focus was quickly diverted as Gildarts came into the room," Da-da! Da-da!"

"Hello Darling!" The Ace cooed as he crouched down by his little daughter," Should you playing with your lunch? No, you should be eating your lunch." He said in mock admonishment as he grabbed the abandoned spoon and offered some of the remaining mash to his tiny princess, only for her to deftly avoid the spoon.

"No!"

"Yes!"

" _No_!"

"Yes!" He said as he finally succeeded in getting the spoon in her mouth. Mealtimes with a baby were always a struggle.

He perked up when his amazing wife laughed," Think you could clean her up while I finish getting things ready?" She asked.

"Of course!" Gildarts said kissing his wife before pulling his little Cana out of her highchair. "Bath time princess!"

"Her new dress is on her changing table!"

"Got it!"

As the crash mage happily got his cheerful little girl ready for her first Thanksgiving with the guild, he wondered if life got any better than this.

oOOOOo

"Oh, hello you sweet little angel!" The old man cooed, taking in his youngest granddaughter in a tiny brown dress with a turkey on it.

Cana smiled, opening and closing her tiny fist like she was waving," Bye-bye."

The adults stifled laughs.

"Its not 'bye' sweetheart." Cornelia said kissing her baby's cheek affectionately," Can you say 'hi' to grandpa?"

"Bye-bye!" The infant yelled again, which made the whole room grin.

"Thank you for coming." Makarov said fondly," And thank you for bringing so much food Cornelia, it looks incredible."

The brunette blushed slightly," I hope it tastes as good as it looks." She admitted," I've never tried making most of it, so I don't know how well it turned out."

"The fact that you took the time to make all of this to share with everyone means more than anything else." The old man said, making the still-blushing mother smile. "Anyway- dinner will be starting soon so we better get everything laid out!"

Gildarts went to lay the dishes out on the spread of the food everyone else had contributed, when his good mood was soured. "Ivan." He said disdainfully.

"Gildarts." The sour-faced man said back coldly," I see you've decided to bring your spawn."

"Yes, I brought my little darling." The crash mage said tightly," Where's Laxus? You forget him at home again?"

Before Ivan could respond, the tiny blond materialized by the dark-haired man's side. "Hi Mr. Gildarts!" The boy said cheerfully, his wide smile revealing his missing front tooth.

"Hi Laxus." The man said with a grin, completely ignoring his rival," We brought Cana with us, and I'm sure she wants to see you."

The little boy lit up and quickly abandoned the two men as he re-materialized by the brunette woman.

"Hi Miss Cornelia! Hi Cana!"

"La-la!" The little girl squealed, reaching out for her older cousin, almost falling out of her mother's arms.

"Careful!" Cornelia said as she adjusted her hold before smiling down at the blond," Happy Thanksgiving Laxus." She said kindly.

"Happy Thanksgiving Miss Cornelia." He said politely," Can I hold Cana now?"

"Of course you can." The mother replied passing her baby over to the little boy.

The infant grabbed his nose as she squealed," La-la!"

The boy pouted," Lax-us." He said slowly.

"La-la!"

" _Lax-us_."

"La-la!"

The two adults didn't even bother to hide their smiles as the children went back and forth.

"Everybody grab your plates!" Makarov yelled," I think it's time we get started!"

oOOOOo

Dinner was progressing quite calmly.

Everyone was behaving, keeping their voices to normal conversation level; no one was fighting over food and no one was trying to pick a fight.

Quite frankly it was almost suspicious.

Makarov eyed his surprisingly well-behaved children before turning back to his own meal, smiling as he saw Laxus carefully cutting his turkey and Cana, who was covered in the mashed sweet potato she was meant to be eating.

Every few minutes either Gildarts or Cornelia would attempt to spoon feed her something other than the orange mash- a little turkey or cranberries that the infant occasionally accepted.

All in all, everything was going well and for once the old man could relax and just enjoy a meal with his children.

Then Cana decided that just fingerpainting in the sweet potato wasn't fun anymore, grabbed a handful from her little tray and threw it as hard as she could, hitting Wakaba right in the eye.

"What the- !"The smoker just barely bit back the curse as he scrubbed at his eye," Who threw that!" He yelled angrily.

"Is someone trying to break my rules?" Makarov asked in a deadly calm voice, that made everyone swallow reflexively.

"No- of course not Master!" Reedus said hurriedly, "I'm sure whoever hit Wakaba did so accidentally- right?"

Everyone in the vicinity shrugged, not sure who'd thrown it.

"I hope so." The old man said levelly, returning to his food.

Then Cana, pleased with her aim, threw another handful.

"Hey!" Nab yelled as the gob of orange hit him in the ear. "What's the big ide- "

"Hey calm down man!" The person next to him protested," You really don't want to be the one to start- "

Whatever they were about to say got cut off when a third glob of orange hit him in the nose. "Hey!"

Macao barked out a laugh and all three victims glared at him.

"You think this is funny?" Nab yelled chucking a spoonful of mashed potatoes at the fire wizard, who ducked, and the food hit the back of Enno's head.

The dark-haired woman stilled and turned to the men and chucked a handful of roasted carrots in their direction, that wound up hitting Ivan in the face.

The sour-faced male twitched violently and opened his mouth to say something, when a fourth glob of orange hit him in the back of his head. The man whirled around and focused on Gildarts. "You little-!"

Before anyone could do anything, the man lunged for the redhead and all hell broke loose.

People were screaming and food was flying.

Cornelia quickly grabbed both children and booked it behind the bar, as Gildarts and Ivan threw punches at each other, random blasts of magic taking out the odd table.

Then the whole room shook as a titan-sized Makarov filled the space.

"SIT DOWN AND BEHAVE YOURSELVES!"

Most quickly did as told, but the two rivals continued to fight like a pair of feral alley cats and apparently hadn't even heard the old man's yell.

With the ease that comes with lots of practice, the giant grabbed each fighter in hand and forcibly separated them. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH ALL OF YOU!" He roared," WHY DO YOU INSIST ON SETTING BAD EXAMPLES FOR YOUR CHILDREN?!"

As if to prove a point Laxus' excited voice coincided perfectly with Cana's delighted squeal," That was awesome!"

"Again! Again!" The little girl chirped.

"Master." Cornelia said in an icy calm," I think it would be for the best if I took both of the children home." She glared at her sheepish husband," You're welcome to keep Gildarts for the rest of the day though."

"But- Sweetie- "The Ace attempted to plead.

"No. Buts." She growled," See you later."

And with that, she strode out of the hall both children in tow. None the wiser of her daughter's actions.

Nor did anyone else figure out who started the fight- despite suffering for hours under the Master's care, no one ever owned up to it and it became one of the great unsolved mysteries of Fairy Tail.


	55. Cytotoxic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three bone marrow transplant attempts- three rejections. She couldn't live like this anymore. Better she try to live whatever time she had left. Even if she couldn't tell her dad the truth, she could still hit a lot of things on her bucket list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentioned drug use, attempted passive suicide, mentioned underage sex
> 
> MEDICAL STUFF IS SOMETIMES KIND OF ACCURATE BUT MOSTLY OVER DRAMATIZED AND FAKE! This is an alternate to 'Perfect Match'

Cana wasn't sure what was happening.

Everything was just a haze of blurry shapes and bright colors; with voices she couldn't understand talking loudly.

Her limbs felt as though they had been incased in cement. Sensations of touch were dull to the point she wondered if this wasn't a dream.

She hadn't fallen asleep during treatment before, but there's a first time for everything.

Maybe if she could just remember what was happening, everything could make sense.

oOOOOo

"You're lying." Cana accused the solemn-faced doctor desperately," I can't- "

"But you do Miss Alberona." The doctor interrupted gently," Your family history alone increases your chances for Tuan's and the results from your blood test… I'm so sorry Miss Alberona."

Tuan's Disease. She had Tuan's Disease.

The same disease that had ravaged her mother from the inside out. Had made her mother so sick she couldn't even get out of bed. The disease that had killed her mother… the disease that had killed her mother was now going to kill her.

A gentle hand on her shoulder drew her attention back to the gray-haired doctor," You do have treatment options- we've caught this early enough that your chances are very good."

"I don't want to die." Cana blurted out, making the doctor's face shift. The usually stern man pulled her into a loose hug.

"That's not going to happen." He swore." We are going to make sure that this will just become a bad memory. You're going to be fine Cana."

"…promise?"

"I promise."

He lied.

Cana had gone through treatment after treatment. Each one worse than the last. She could barely keep anything down and somedays it was all she could do to open her eyes. She'd started off getting the drugs pumped into her body once a week, feeling the poison run through her veins…

And the disease had laughed.

Within two months she'd hit stage two- destabilization of her joints and weakening of her bones, with compromised organ function to top it all off.

Her doctors had gotten her bumped up the list to receive bone marrow and it had almost killed her.

'Cytotoxic'

Not a word Cana had ever heard before this, and it was a word she dearly wished she was still ignorant of.

Cytotoxic- a term that refers to a body's inability to accept foreign tissue.

Her body refused to accept the donated marrow- rejecting it in the same way most bodies would reject unmatched blood.

It took two days for the medical team to stabilize her. And then her dosage of poison was increased to twice a week.

It still didn't help.

She progressed to stage three- her lungs were filling up with fluid that had to be drained out every three days. She was now being given more potions and therapies to try and halt the progression of the disease and when it ceased to work, they tried a Hail Mary.

After a week of being in a sterile room, an IV feeding her drugs that would temporarily suppress her body's immune system, Cana was once again given a bone marrow transplant.

And it went just as drastically wrong as the first.

Cana had been pulled back from the edge, and once again told the beautiful lie- 'you're going to be okay'.

She wasn't sure if the medical team even believed themselves at this point.

She was exhausted from fighting this loosing battle, and was strongly considering just giving in, but that solemn-faced doctor had pleaded with her. Begged her to keep going, telling her that she was so young- that she could still beat this.

And like an idiot, she listened.

oOOOOo

"-iss Alberona? Miss Alberona- Cana? Cana can you hear me?"

The brunette let out a groan and blinked open her eyes to see a mousy-haired nurse she recognized to be Natalie standing at her bedside.

"…it didn't work."

It wasn't a question.

Natalie tightened her grip on the card mage's hand," I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Cana returned her gaze back to the white ceiling tiles of the sterile hospital room. Once again, the transplant had failed. Maybe… maybe it was time to take the hint…

A throat cleared, and she turned her gaze back to the room to see Dr. Samuel had come in.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake Miss Alberona." He said with a clearly forced calm," Now that you're awake we can discuss doubling your current- "

"No."

The doctor reeled at the interruption, all eyes turning to the hopeless girl on the hospital bed.

"I'm tired." The brunette's once olive skin was now as white as the sheets on the bed, the purple blue of her veins standing out in sharp contrast. "And I think it's time that I accept reality."

"Cana…" The dower-faced man breathed in shock as he stared at the once fiery young woman.

"I can't do this anymore."

He moved across the room and grasped her other hand," Cana this one will work- "

"That's what you said about the last three." The card mage interrupted in a dead voice.

"One more try." He begged," Please just go through one more cycle- I know that this isn't fair, but you can't give up. I see people die every day- I don't want you to become just another statistic. Please don't let this win."

All was quiet as the brunette thought it over," One more cycle." She conceded," But if the transplant fails again…" She swallowed before saying the last words with finality," If the transplant fails again- don't save me. I want you to let me go."

She could tell that both Dr. Samuel and Natalie dearly wanted to argue, but… she just couldn't do it anymore.

"…I want to argue." He admitted quietly, staring at the defeated girl," I want to beg, I want to plead, I don't want you to give up…but I will respect your decision. If the transplant fails we won't save you."

"Thank you." Cana said in relief, tears beginning to run down her face.

The doctor squeezed Cana's knee before he stood up," Natalie will get you together and then you'll be free to go. We'll start your new round in two days- sound good?"

"See you then." The brunette said with a weak smile.

Looks like it was her turn to be the liar.

oOOOOo

It was an ordinary day in the Fairy Tail guildhall.

The sun was shining, people laughing, the alcohol was flowing, and the usual suspects were trying to beat each other to death. Just your typical day in Fiore's most beloved guild.

Gildarts had come back the day before and was loudly telling his newest stories to a fascinated audience, when something unexpected happened.

A gray-haired man burst through the doors of the guildhall, loudly panting as he called out in a panic," Is Cana Alberona here?!"

"Why do you want to know?" Mirajane asked in her usual rude tone.

The man frantically scanned the guildhall," If she's not- I need to speak with Master Makarov, it's an emergency please!"

"Easy there tiger." Gildarts said holding his hands up in surrender to try and get the man to calm down, ordering," Macao- go get Master will ya?"

The fire wizard nodded, eyeing the man with curiosity before heading to the old man's office.

"Now- what's the emergency?" Gildarts asked seriously.

The man ran his hands through his hair, looking as though he was about to loose his last shred of sanity," I-I'm the doctor that's been managing her treatment- she missed her appointment this morning. At this stage in her treatment this could be fatal- we need to find her as soon as possible!"

The entire hall went dead silent.

"…what are you talking about?" Gray asked shakily, abandoning his fight with Natsu.

The doctor stared wildly at all the faces, his own broadcasting his confusion," Her treatment for her Tuan's disease?"

When he saw the still puzzled faces of all of the Fairy's, Samuel came to a jarring realization," … she never told any of you, did she?"

"Tell us what?" The miniature guildmaster asked, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

"Miss Al- Cana Alberona has been getting treated for Tuan's Disease for almost a year now." He said numbly," Her next dose of radiotherapy was supposed to start an hour ago, but she didn't show up."

The old man started," Radioth- isn't that used to treat cancer?!"

At the 'c' word the tension in the hall skyrocketed, as everyone staring at the doctor, desperate for all of this to be some kind of sick joke.

Dr. Samuel shook his head," I mean- yes it usually is but that's not what she's been getting- look we don't have time for this! Where is she? Missing a dose at this stage could be catastrophic-!"

"… I saw Cana last night." Levy said in shock, not even aware of how all the eyes locked onto her," She-she didn't look good…"

The gray-haired man looked at the bluenette," Did she say anything to you-?!"

The bookworm slowly nodded," She said that- that life was short and… and that she hoped that she'd get to live a little before she died. I- I tried to get her to talk to me but… she just hugged me and walked away…"

And Samuel finally got it," Oh my god…"

"What?" Makarov asked frantically.

"She lied to me." The gray-haired man said in shock," She never intended on going through with the treatment…"

For a moment all was silent, then the miniature man exploded into action. "Macao, Wakaba, Nab- go and get every portable lacrima we have and distribute them to everyone. Girls!" He barked, as the three men flew down the stairs," I want you to go and search Fairy Hills- see if there is anything that could give us a clue."

"We're on it." Erza said with a determined nod.

"Vigitar, Warren, Max- I want you three to check the train station- if she has been there at all in the last month I want to know. Gray- go and search all of the hiding spots you two have." The small man ordered, pleased to see everyone rushing to get started, grabbing the lacrimas as they ran through the doors.

"Reedus- I want you to go get Porlyusica, maybe she has something that could help keep her stable until we can get her to the hospital."

"Oui!"

Master Makarov continued barking out orders, sending his children out in organized groups to begin searching for the missing girl. After the only remaining members in the hall were the doctor and himself, he pulled the stunned man down to his level.

"You are going to tell me exactly what's going on, why I wasn't informed that a child under my care was dying, and then we are going to figure out how to keep her alive when we finally find her. Start talking."

oOOOOo

Gildarts couldn't believe that this was happening.

He didn't know Cana very well- had maybe spoken to her twice, but he would be damned if he was going to let her die if he could do anything about it.

The communication lacrima crackled to life every few minutes, with everyone radioing the lack of progress they were having in their desperate attempts to find the sick girl.

Apparently while she _had_ gone to the train station in the last week, she hadn't bought a ticket or enquired about train schedules. She wasn't at any of her favorite restaurants or shops or even that one bar that would occasionally sell the underage girl a drink (what the fuck kind of place sold alcohol to kids?!). The music school that she used to attend hadn't seen her in weeks- apparently she had dropped out due to 'personal reasons' that she had refused to disclose.

All of her recent clients had nothing bad to say about her, and nobody on the streets seemed to have any clue what was going on.

To be honest, Gildarts wasn't entirely clear on what was going on. Just that whatever 'Tuan's Disease' was, it required the same kind of treatments they used for cancer and that Cana could not afford to miss a dose.

The Ace had been assigned with about a dozen others to search the surrounding forests for any signs of her.

The old bridge that marked the original entrance to Magnolia came into view. The setting sun painting the sky with vibrant colors over the worn stone, and a small form was curled up into a ball next to the railing.

His heart jumped into his throat as he bolted, skidding to a stop right next to the dozing form of Cana Alberona.

She looked horrible.

Her dark hair was a rats nest of tangles and stray leaves. Her green dress was ripped in some places, with a myriad of mystery stains. Her skin was white, the shadows under her eyes standing out as dark bruises. She reeked of cigarettes and stale beer.

Oddly the detail that stood out the most to him was that she was missing her right shoe.

The dazed girl turned her head in his direction.

"I must be dreaming." She said in a defeated voice as she stared at him.

Gildarts slowly settled down next to her, trying not to spook her," Why must you be?"

"Because I'm trying to finish my bucket list and you wouldn't be here in real life. So, this must be a dream." She said matter of factly, her violet eyes glassy as she stared at him.

Fighting of the urge to just scoop her up and run her to the hospital, he tried to gently prod her," You're not dreaming Cana- everyone's worried sick about you. You missed your appointment- "

"On purpose."

He blinked in surprise at the interruption," … what?"

The brunette laid her head against the stone," …I can't do this anymore." She whispered, tears begin to fall," I'm gonna die. I just need to accept it."

His veins were suddenly filled with ice water," You're not going to die." He said firmly," You're going to get better."

"Please don't lie to me."

Cana's purple eyes were sunken into her face, the waxy whiteness of her skin making the color seem brighter despite the dead look that utterly terrified him," I decided that I'd try to live my last few days to the fullest- complete my bucket list."

Gildarts gave up on trying to get her to come willingly and gently pulled her into his arms, carefully standing up, before beginning to walk back towards Magnolia," What's on your bucket list?" He asked curiously, if he kept her talking then he'd at least know she was still alive.

"Mostly the usual stuff- fall in love, lose my virginity, drink the priciest alcohol I can find, eat the weirdest ice cream flavor, go skinny dipping- then a few of my own. 'Least I got about a quarter of it, it's better than nothing I guess."

"…I'm going to regret asking this, but which one's did you hit?" He asked in trepidation.

The brunette laughed," The pricey alcohol, the skinny dipping, and I ate chocolate cake the size of my head. I went to a rave and had a good time, I had sex with I don't even know how many people, may not have told the real you the truth but I think I did pretty well."

The crash mage blinked in surprise," Tell me the truth about what?" Why would whatever it was be important enough for a dying girl to put on her bucket list?

She laughed again and laid her head against his chest," About who I really am."

"And who are you?" He asked in curiosity.

"Your daughter."

He froze, almost dropping her in his shock.

"What?" He asked in strangled surprise.

"I'm your daughter." She repeated nonchalantly, like she was talking about the weather," Mama was one of your flings- I came to Magnolia because I was trying to find you. But I'm glad I never said anything, I don't want real you to feel sad when I die."

He sped up, trying to get her back to town as quickly as possible. This wasn't- there was no way- was she really- "This isn't a dream Cana." He said bluntly getting a confused look from the drowsy card mage. "I am the real me, you are the real you, and you're going to be fine."

"That's exactly what a dream would say." She said petulantly (she looked so adorable with that pout on her face), and okay, he had to give her that one.

"What's your mom's name?" He asked instead, keeping his eyes fixed on the distant lights of Magnolia.

"Cornelia."

And he actually _did_ drop her that time- thankfully he caught her before she hit the ground.

"Cornelia? Cornelia Alberona?!" He demanded, making the startled girl look at him in surprise.

"Why'd you drop me?!" She asked in indignation (okay- for her to be this out of it she definitely had to have had more than just alcohol).

"Cornelia Alberona was your mother?" He repeated, getting a nod from the pouting girl.

Conny

There was no way. This couldn't be real (but how would she know that name?).

"…hey Gildarts?" She said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes Cana." She would have told him. No matter how mad she'd been- she would have told him.

The sick girl sniffled and buried her head against his chest," … I don't wanna die."

He stilled," You're not going to die." He said determinedly," I won't let that happen. You're going to get better and all of this will be nothing but a bad dream."

"…you promise Daddy?"

He swallowed past the lump in his throat," I promise."

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear."

"Okay." The brunette nodded, quickly falling asleep against her father's shoulder.

Gildarts picked up his pace, it didn't matter if she was his daughter or not, he was going to do everything in his power to keep his promise.

oOOOOo

She woke up slowly, the acrid scent of the hospital disinfectants burning her nostrils.

So, she wound up in the hospital after all.

Wonder when that happened, her memory got a little foggy after the spiked martini- maybe someone from the rave had dropped her off? Either way her medical team probably wasn't going to let her leave this time.

It took a second to recognize a sound other then the beeping of her monitors and that had her cracking open her eyes because why the fuck would there be snoring in her hospital room?

Blinking against the light it took her a second to process what she was actually seeing. Every available surface of the small room was occupied by one of her passed out guildmates. Most of which were snoring.

Okay… what the fuck was in that little blue pill that was making her hallucinate like this?

The brunette closed her eyes hard and then opened them again- nope, still there.

She then escalated to a hard pinch that almost broke through her skin (she bruised so easily these days)- still there.

Third times the charm- she gave herself a hard slap.

Okay… maybe this actually was reality…

Now she had two options: she could be polite and press the call button to get a nurse in here to explain or she could be a little shit.

Wait, why was this even a question?

Cana tilted her head back and screamed like the slutty sorority girl in the horror movie.

Which naturally set off a chain reaction as everybody jerked awake and fell into tangled masses of limbs and cursing.

" _CUPCAKES_ \- WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

"OW! WHO THE FU- "

"- THAT'S MY LEG! _THAT'S MY LEG!_ "

"WHAT THE FUCK- "

"What's going on here?!" A furious demand sounded from the door to the room which made everyone go silent. Dr. Samuel glaring daggers," I told you lot not to cause trouble! There are sick people here who need quiet to- "The man broke off his rant, staring at Cana in surprise," Oh, you're awake."

The still-tangled members of the Fairy Tail guild turned in unison to see the unimpressed face of Cana Alberona staring back at them, one eyebrow raised.

"Morning."

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds…

" _ **CANA**_!"

The tangled mass quickly tried and failed to leap over to the brunette's side, everyone babbling at once.

"QUIET!" Wow, who knew Dr. Samuel had it in him? "Everyone out."

The card mage was surprised when everybody meekly tropped out the door, not even a small complaint leaving any of them. The last person out wound up being Levy the bluenette giving the sick girl a tight hug.

"Please don't die Cana." She pleaded tearfully, before she too marched out the door.

Once the room was empty, Cana and Dr. Samuel stared each other down like two gunslingers in an old western.

The brunette looked down at the numerous lines taped down to her arm and followed them up to the hanging IV bags, then she looked at the stone-faced doctor.

"Who wound up finding me?" She asked non-chalantly, making the doctor's stony expression harden.

"Gildarts." He answered coolly," Cana- this may surprise you, but we haven't been putting you through all of this to make you suffer. We want to help you- missing your dose and putting who knows what in your body- "

"I told you that I wanted to stop." Cana interrupted, giving the doctor a chilling stare of her own," I said I didn't want to do this anymore, but you guys just won't let me die- "

"Because we care about you!" The gray-haired man snapped," Your entire guild cares about you- they were all terrified when they found out what was going on- since apparently you didn't tell them anything!"

"Because I didn't want to put them through this." She said firmly, feeling frustrated tears begin to build up," Tell me doctor- what are my chances? We both know that unless there's a miracle I'm going to die. I didn't want them to see me like this, to think that everything's going to be okay when it's not. False hope is so much crueler than the truth. I know that now."

Those words hung in the air.

The doctor took a deep breath," Be that as it may, now that you're here we can't let you leave."

The brunette gave him an empty smile," I figured as much."

"I'll send in Master Makarov- he has a few things he needs to talk to you about."

"Okay."

And with that Cana leaned her head back and pretended to go back to sleep, and Dr. Samuel walked out of the room.

oOOOOo

Gildarts was in shock.

All he could do was stare at the yellowing birth certificate in his hands as he tried and failed to process the words printed on the page.

How could she have done this?

How could she have possibly hated him this much?

She had known how to contact him- knew where he lived, could have gone to Master, could have asked Serena to call the guild, could have come back, could've written a fucking letter- and she didn't. She had let him go on completely ignorant of their daughter's existence, and he probably still wouldn't know if it wasn't for these fucked up circumstances.

Actually, he'd almost prefer not knowing- because then that would mean that Cana would be okay.

Fuck he wanted her to be okay.

A hand was laid on his shoulder making him jerk in surprise, accidentally destroying the conference room table.

He winced. Not his best moment.

"Gildarts…"

The Ace turned to face the sympathetic face of Master Makarov. "Yeah Master?"

The old man looked him up and down, glanced at the remains of the table then at the paper clutched in his hands," I suppose I don't need to ask whether or not it's true."

Gildarts swallowed past the lump in his throat and shook his head.

He had a baby.

He had a beautiful and magnificent baby girl who was dying from a disease that destroying her from the inside out. A beautiful little girl who had clung to him and cried because she didn't want to die.

"Can I see her?" He asked before the thought had even fully manifested in his brain.

Before the shorter man could say anything, the door opened to reveal the gray-haired doctor that was handling his little girl's treatment.

The doctor blinked in surprise as he stared at the remains of the table, then visibly shook it off," She's awake Master." He informed them calmly," I tried to talk things out with her but… well I think you need to have a word with her." He eyed the table again," …May I ask what happened there."

Gildarts didn't say a word, just passed the other man the copy of his baby's birth certificate. It only took a second for Samuel to realize what he was holding, and his jaw dropped. He gaped like a fish, looking from the paper to the crash mage and back again.

"Holy shit…"

The Ace barked a laugh," That was about my reaction." He admitted.

"…Actually, this is very, very good news…" The gray-haired man said, a smile appearing on his face.

Both wizards looked at him in confusion.

"How so?" Makarov asked curiously.

"…Because she's in a guild we have to treat her like she's legally emancipated- she gets to make her own medical decisions. But now… Mr. Clive… you have the power to make the call." He said, a manic gleam in his eye.

"…What do you mean?" Gildarts asked hesitantly.

"She wants to stop all treatment, but if her parent says to continue…" he trailed off, but both of the other men got the message.

The decision of whether his daughter would live a little longer or die a bit sooner was now in his hands.

And he desperately wanted to say yes. Wanted to tell the doctor to keep going and do whatever they could to slow down the disease and keep her alive. But he couldn't.

_I don't want to die_

She'd told him that herself. But he couldn't make this decision for her.

The Ace straightened up," I want to talk to her as soon as you're done Master." He said firmly," I can't make this decision in good conscious without talking to her first- I want to say yes, but it's her body. If she really wants to stop then I have no right to make any other decision."

He meant it. If Cana said no then he would back her up, it would kill him, but he'd do it. He'd known he was her father for all of ten minutes- legally he may have the right, but that didn't mean jack in reality.

If nothing else… if nothing else, he might get some answers as to why she had never said anything all these years.

oOOOOo

After spending so much of the last year in hospital rooms you'd think that Cana would have developed ways to stave off the crushing boredom.

No such luck.

All she could do was sit there twiddling her thumbs and try to remember things about the last night. The rave had been glow-in-the-dark themed and she'd been given about fifty of those stupid glow necklaces at the door. Hers had been bright yellow and she was pretty sure the dude who gave her the absinthe had been wearing green ones…

She was drawn out of her thoughts by a quiet knock on the door," Come in."

The door slid open to reveal the miniscule form of Master Makarov.

"You gave us all quite the scare child," He said in that tone of his that never failed to make Cana feel like a guilty child with her hand in the cookie jar.

"It wasn't my intention." She said honestly.

"Are you aware of just what was found in your bloodstream?"

Shit, this definitely wasn't going anywhere good.

"No Master." She said quietly, not able to meet his eyes.

"They found the remnants of Marijuana, Ecstasy, and a drug cocktail of barbiturates in your system. Adding onto that a blood alcohol of 0.21." The old man gave her a piercing look," Someone obviously had a good time."

"…I can't remember most of it." Cana admitted sheepishly," I just… I just wanted to live a little with the time I've got left."

Makarov softened as soon as he heard those words. He hopped up onto the bed and pulled his child into a hug. "Why didn't you tell us?"

The brunette swallow, blinking back tears," My mom died from Tuan's Disease." She admitted quietly, feeling the way the old man stiffened at this new revelation. "I had to watch as she got weaker and weaker. She couldn't even get out of bed most mornings… I didn't want you guys to see me like this. I didn't want you guys to get your hopes up that I'd get better. I've had three rejections Master; all anyone here wants me to do is keep going until my body gives out… but I don't want to wait that long."

"Cana…"

"It's not that I didn't trust you all, it's that I love Fairy Tail too much to be a burden on everyone- "

Master once again pulled her back into a hug," Oh you foolish child. You would never be a burden on anyone if you tried. We're all here now- everyone's already asked to get tested to donate- "

"You're not listening."

Why could no one seem to _get it_?

"Master I can't do this anymore- I just want to spend whatever time I've got left with all of you."

"And that will be another eighty years."

"Master- "

The old man waved her off," Do you remember how you got here last night?”

Cana was at annoyed at the change of subject but didn't try to fight it," I don't really remember anything after watching the minotaur get covered in shaving cream."

The old man blinked, his train of thought soaring off the tracks to its fiery demise as he stared at her with a poleaxed look on his face," …You know what I'm not even going to ask."

"That's probably wise."

Makarov floundered as he tried to regain his bearings (minotaur in shaving cream… no. No, he was not even going to _try_ ). Seeing just how lost he was the card mage decided to throw him a bone.

"I think Dr. Samuel said Gildarts picked me up." She offered, trying to ignore the pull in her chest at the thought of her father.

"Right! That's- right." The guildmaster stumbled, finally shaking off his surprise," You see… you said a few things to him before you fell asleep…" he trailed off, but Cana could feel a horrible realization taking shape.

"He knows now- doesn't he." She said numbly, feeling like the world had been pulled out from under her feet.

Master gave her a searching glance," …He's out in the hall. If you're up for it, he'd like to talk to you."

She took a deep breath and tried to fight back her instinct to run (where would she go? Escaping a hospital was an exercise in futility)," You can send him in." She said after a moment of silence.

Makarov gave her a searching look but nodded," I'll send him in then." He got up and began to walk towards the door, when he stilled," Cana… no matter what you decide to do… Fairy Tail will support you. There is nothing you could do that would make us stop loving you."

He left without waiting for a reply, leaving a teary-eyed card mage fighting to get herself back under control.

She only had about a minute before her father poked his head in the room.

The usually confident crash mage had an air of uneasiness around him that he didn't even bother to try and hide.

"Hi kiddo." He said softly, sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

Cana didn't say anything, just stared at the man who had fathered her. He finally knew the truth, she just wished it was under better circumstances.

"So…" He floundered, rubbing furiously at his face before admitted," I'll be honest I have no idea what I should be saying." He let out a shaky laugh," …did you know that I was the one who picked your name?"

The brunette blinked in surprise, slowly shaking her head 'no'.

"Your mom and me… well we were together for about six years give or take." He admitted quietly, taking note of the surprise on her face," Marrying her… marrying her was the happiest day of my life. We talked about kids a lot, I told her that I'd always wanted to name my daughter 'Rebecca'. She hated it. Said that it was more like a death sentence than a name, said she wanted to name her future daughter 'Arcana'."

"Mama was the only person who called me Rebecca." Cana quietly interrupted.

Gildarts gave her a wide-eyed stare," She- no, never mind." He shook his head as if to clear it," Cana… not a day goes by that I don't wish that I'd gone after her, but I guess I've always been a coward at heart. Beyond all of this, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Once he was sure he had he attention, he spilled his guts," Because I am on your birth certificate, this gives me an ability that us just sharing blood wouldn't. As your father I have the power to make any final decisions on your treatment- your doctor wants me to override you and give the all clear to keep going."

"What?!" She asked in alarm, her violet eyes wide as she stared at him in horror.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze," Cana- I haven't been a father very long." He said seriously," And quite honestly, I want you to live. I want to tell that doctor to keep going until something works. I want to watch you grow up, maybe see you get married one day, have the chance to be the father I've never gotten to be, but I can't do that."

He gave her hand another squeeze, unable to look her in the eye," If you really want to stop treatment… if you really want to stop then I'll support that decision. I'll stay by your side until you're gone, but… last night… last night I held you in my arms and I promised you that you were going to live. I'm not going to make you change your decision, I don't have the right to do that, but… please think it over, one last time." He pleaded.

For a moment the brunette was silent, staring at the crash mage with an unreadable look on her face, and then she slowly shook her head." I don't want to die." She whispered, finally letting the tears fall," But I can't live like this anymore."

Gildarts swallowed," I understand." He said solemnly and was about to leave the room when her hand closed around his wrist.

"Can…" She swallowed," Can you please…"

He didn't need her to finish. He sat down on her bed and pulled her close to him, savoring the few moments he had left with the baby he'd never realized was right in front of him.

"…Why didn't you tell me Cana?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I tried… but things just kept getting in the way. Then… then I found out and I didn't want to tell you just to die… but I'm glad you know now. Thank you… thank you for respecting my decision."

He kissed her forehead," I'm your Daddy darling- if this is all I can do for you… if staying by your side is all I can do, then I am going to do it."

They laid there for a while in comfortable silence, and just when Gildarts thought she'd finally fallen asleep she spoke.

"… Daddy?"

He started, tearing up at being gifted a title like that (while she was sober)," Y-yes sweetheart?"

"…I don't wanna die."

And somehow, he understood. She didn't even need to say anything else for him to understand.

"Are you sure?" He needed her to be sure, he couldn't let her torture drag out for potentially no benefit unless she was sure.

Cana didn't respond for a second, before she finally spoke up again," I don't wanna die."

"You won't." He swore," Daddy's going to right here the entire time, you're going to get better."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear."

Please God don't make a liar out of him.

oOOOOo

The chances of finding a bone marrow match are one in three thousand. When the patient has had one rejection, the numbers drop to one in a hundred thousand. For someone who has had _three_ rejections… for someone who has had three rejections the best thing you can do is get down on your knees and pray.

And somehow it worked.

Gray Fullbuster was a five-point match- that was as perfect as it got.

Three days after he cleared all tests, the ice wizard was gowned up and taken for extraction of the marrow in his pelvis. Five days after that, Gildarts held his daughter's hand as she was given the transfusion that saved her life.

After almost a year of struggling it was finally over.

Cana had a long way to go before she was completely recovered, but she would get better.

Six weeks later and Cana was about to be discharged.

She'd have to come back for regular screening for the next year, but she was now well enough to start living her life again.

The guild had planned a whole party to celebrate and the card mage couldn't wait.

While she was sick, she avoided those parties like the plague, hadn't wanted to taint the happy moments for them later on, but now?

The guild had better double the alcohol budget because it was all going down!

"You ready to go?" Gildarts asked cheerfully as he walked back into the room.

"Pretty much." Cana said with a smile.

That had been another surprise during all of this. She had always been afraid the Gildarts wouldn't want her if he knew the truth. Would see the pathetic little thing she was and politely pretend she didn't exist.

Reality was he was the most smothering, lovey-dovey, sickeningly sweet father that ever existed and as embarrassing as it was, she loved every second of it.

Though that little stunt her baby pictures better not happen again (how the fuck had he even gotten those?!).

The brunette zipped her bag shut and was about to throw it over her shoulder when it was snatched away from her.

"Seriously?" She asked eyeing her old man.

"Dr. Samuel was very clear- no unnecessary physical activity. Your bone density is still not ideal and anything too strenuous- "

"Carrying my bag is not strenuous- "

"But it _is_ unnecessary- Daddy's here and totally able to carry it for you." He said with finality in his tone.

Cana let out a loud sigh and decided not to argue. It was pointless when he got like this.

"Give me a second will ya." She said before heading out the door, it didn't take her long to spot the familiar gray-haired man standing by the nurses' station," Dr. Samuel!" She called.

The man turned around at the sound of his name, an entire jelly donut stuffed in his mouth," Miss Alberona." He said with a smile after he managed to swallow the pastry whole.

The brunette grabbed the man in a vice like hug, startling him for a second at the abruptness of it.

"Thank you for not giving up on me."

The stern man softened and hugged the girl back," I promised, didn't I?"

"Still… thanks."

"Anytime- now you might want to hurry along before your father decides that carrying you out is the best idea."

The card mage snorted, but obediently walked back to where her idiot of an old man was waiting.

Gildarts smiled down at his little girl," You ready to go home Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I guess I am Dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really thought about making this a tragic ending. Where she decides not to continue treatment and lives out the last few days she's got, with the entire guild around her when she finally goes- but I just couldn't do it. I like the heartbreaking stuff as much as the next person, but I like my stories to end happy. The line ’cupcakes we’re under attack’ is from a PJOxHP crossover called ’The Unrelenting Frozen Seas’ by Engineer4Ever- it is incredible and I highly recommend it.
> 
> That said I feel like I need to clarify something: Dr. Samuel is not a bad doctor or a bad person. Him wanting Gildarts to keep things going against Cana's wishes is just a doctor who can't stand the thought of another patient dying, especially one so young. The patient's wants should always come first, but it is not unheard of for doctors to strong arm patients into chemotherapy by getting their families to help guilt them into it. It does not make them bad people, it just makes them desperate humans that don't want to see someone die from something we can treat. I worked in a hospital for a long time, most doctors genuinely want to help, even if it may get lost in translation.


	56. Meetings with Grandpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Gildarts and Cornelia need a babysitter, Makarov is always the first choice, and the old man wouldn't have it any other way. Unfortunately, the life of a guildmaster means that he sometimes has impromptu meetings that he can't find an alternative sitter for. Here are three important meetings Cana sat through over the years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those chapters that ended completely off from what I had planned, but I thought it turned out cute all the same.

**Age: Seven months**

Impromptu meetings with the Magic Council would be considered odd for most guilds.

Not Fairy Tail.

It was a very common occurrence for the members of Fairy Tail to be pulled up in front of the council and threatened with both prison time and disbandment.

This was just the first time they had ordered Makarov to appear while the old man was on babysitting duty.

The old man was sweating nervously as the council starred down at him like he'd grown a third head.

Baby Cana, on the other hand, was happy as a clam on her grandfather's lap, eagerly turning her head around to look at this interesting new place. The miniature man was well aware that this would probably not help his case- but what did they expect him to do? They had barely given him time to grab her baby bag- let alone the time required to find a suitable babysitter!

Yajima cleared his throat," Makarov Dreyar you are brought before the council today because your guild accumulated over five-hundred and seventeen counts of property damage as well as three-hundred counts of reckless endangerment of the public, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The old man sweated nervously (five hundred- oh those brats were going to _get it_!) and cleared his throat trying to keep a straight face and speak clearly, despite the fact his granddaughter was pulling on his mustache.

"Well I know that we have a tendency to get a little… wild…"

One of the newer members scoffed," 'Wild'? You call destroying Begonia town 'wild'? And you have the gall to bring a _child_ into your hearing!"

The miniature guildmaster felt strangely affronted," Hey wait a second!" He protested," Your messengers dragged me out of the guildhall without even giving me a chance to process what was going on! I wasn't given any warning or any time to find someone else who could watch her! Her mother is ill, and her father is on an emergency request- what exactly did you expect me to do?"

The council collectively winced.

"And for that we do apologize." Yajima said sincerely," That would have been a completely valid reason for a delay, and I promise that it won't happen again."

"Thank you." Makarov said calmly, lightly bouncing little Cana," I don't suppose it would be possible for her diaper bag to be returned? She'll be getting hungry soon and since her bottles are back at the guildhall I'll need the emergency formula milk."

Showing far more leniency than they normally would, one of the frogs was dispatched to take care of it as the trial recommenced.

Feeling much calmer now that he had managed to wring an apology out of them, the guildmaster was able to come up with a defense. "I would like to point out that a majority of the property damage were caused in the pursuit of completing the job- you can hardly hold us accountable for a monster's rampage or of my wizards trying to both do their jobs and keep themselves alive! The numbers shrink even more when you consider how much of the damage were genuine accidents that no one could have seen coming." He pointed out reasonably.

"And what do you have to say about the accounts of reckless disregard for safety?" Belno asked reasonably, trying and failing not to look at the adorable little girl who was happily chewing on her own foot.

The old man gently offered Cana his hand to gum on as he answered," That is less excusable." He admitted freely," Sure some of them might be gross misunderstandings, but either way I intend to deal with my children about that one." He said seriously," However- disbanding our guild would do nothing other than force my wizards elsewhere which could cause even more damage in the long run."

He had been intending to continue when the little one started babbling loudly as she pulled at his mustache again. "No- sweetheart let Grandpa work- "

"Don't worry." Yajima said calmly," I believe that you've said enough to make your case, you and your granddaughter can wait in a private room while we deliberate."

"Thank you." Makarov said gratefully standing up and following the escort out, and just before the doors slammed shut, he heard someone pipe up.

"Alright, let's all start by agreeing the baby was adorable and go from there."

oOOOOo

"Oh, who's a sweet little darling!" Yajima cooed as he conjured sparkles to entertain the giggling infant," Yes you are- _yes you are!"_

Officially he was supposed to be telling Maky that he'd pulled off another miracle and Fairy Tail would stay open a little while longer. Unofficially he'd volunteered because he'd been trying to get a day off to meet his old friend's granddaughter for _weeks_.

Makarov let out a loud laugh as soon as he'd heard the verdict and had happily introduced him to his sweet little granddaughter.

"I'm not going to lie Maky," The man said nonchalantly," She definitely helped your case- both because no one wanted to put you in jail while the little one was here and because they felt guilty that you had to bring her at all."

The guildmaster waved him off," I'm not going to hold any grudges over that." He said dismissively," I'm just relieved that they gave me back her bag!"

"That definitely shouldn't have been confiscated!" Yajima said shaking his head," What did they expect you to do if she needed a change or wanted her toys? I promise that I'll personally deal with this- and I'll definitely have to come visit in order to see this little darling!"

The occasional giant laughed," I'll hold you to that last one! Stop by anytime you're always welcome Yajima."

And as he was given a personal escort back to Magnolia, the old man couldn't help feel grateful for this mess. Cana's presence had encouraged the council to go easy on them this time, which gave him a chance to try and make sure that there wouldn't be a next time.

oOOOOo

**Age: Three years old**

Emergency guildmaster meetings were usually either because of a serious issue that would affect multiple guilds or as result of someone screwing up on a joint job and dragging everyone else into the mess.

This particular one happened to be the latter.

Either way they were serious events that everyone was expected to be on their best behavior for. Which is why Makarov Dreyar showing up with his three-year-old granddaughter got a lot of odd looks.

Not that the little girl was disruptive- on the contrary she was probably the best behaved one out of everyone there, completely content to just sit in her grandfather's lap and color or lay down in the corner for a nap.

The adults on the other hand….

"You expect me to believe that it wasn't intentional?!" Serena Alen, Master of the Mermaid Heel guild snarled at José, Master of the Phantom Lord guild.

The borderline-dark wizard sneered," Maybe if your wizards want to be taken seriously, they should try not dressing like harlots."

Serena's eyebrow twitched and it took the combined strength of Goldmine, Bob, and Makarov to stop her from lunging at José," Let go of me!" She snarled, eager to rip his head off.

"Stop this both of you!" The shortest man present ordered," You're behaving like children!"

"Speaking of children Makarov," The only other Wizard Saint present gave the older man a scowl," How unprofessional is it to bring a toddler to an emergency meeting? Were all of those 'children' of yours too drunk to see straight?"

The Fairy Tail guild Master flashed the man a truly unimpressed look," Actually her father is on an emergency SS-Class job and her mother was accidentally overbooked for three separate clients at the same time. If there had been anyone else available to watch her then they would have. And look at how well she is behaving? With your willingness to pick fights and throw tantrums when things don't go your way, I suppose it is a good thing I brought her- she could teach you a thing or two."

José let out a snarl of rage and stormed out, as everyone else present burst out laughing.

"Ah Maky!" Bob said, wiping a tear from his eye," You always know what to say."

"And speaking of," Serena said, significantly calmer as she turned to the little girl," It is nice to see you little one- is your grandfather already attempting to groom you to take over for him one day?"

Cana looked up at the people in the room and shrugged, reaching for another crayon," I dunno." She said dismissively, turning back to Makarov," Grandpa why was that man mad?" She asked curiously.

The old man laughed and lifted the little girl back onto his lap," Because he is very, very foolish Cana."

"Oh, okay."

Goldmine laughed," Serena has a point though- are you planning to make her the next master?" The tension gone, everyone sitting down for small talk," If nothing else she's got a more level head then most people I know."

The shorter man shook his head," Its far too soon to be worrying about things like that- just let her be a child."

"Oh, I don't know," Bob said with an exaggerated wink," It's never too early to start thinking about the future! Tell me sweetie- what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A dinosaur."

Everybody blinked and stared blankly at the toddler who hadn't even bothered to look up from her coloring book.

"Um…" Serena trailed off uncertainly," Wouldn't you rather be a wizard or a doctor or a ballerina?"

"No."

"Um… okay?"

The only one who hadn't even batted an eye was Makarov," What kind of dinosaur do you want to be sweetheart?" He asked as though he was asking about the weather.

"A blue one!" She answered happily, visibly preening at her grandfather's interest.

Goldmine was the one who decided to ask the question," Um… why do you want to be a dinosaur?"

The little girl calmly set down her crayon and looked him dead in the eye," So that when people are mean to me I can bite their heads off."

While everyone else felt mildly disturbed, Makarov looked exceedingly proud.

"That is an excellent reason." He assured her and raised an eyebrow at his colleagues," Don't you all agree?"

Despite his phrasing it was not a question.

"Oh- of course!" Serena said hurriedly, the others quickly echoing her when they saw the evil glare the smaller man aimed at them.

The meeting was quickly ended, everyone deciding that if Makarov was scary when it came to his children, he was so much worse with his grandchildren.

oOOOOo

**Age: Six years old**

"So, are we in agreement that dealing with the rise in dark guild's should be a high priority?" Jura asked the room at large who all nodded in agreement," Alright, let us take a short break for some refreshments before we discuss our next course of action." With the future Wizard Saints words, everyone dispersed to the small buffet table that had been set up.

"Grandpa what's that?" Cana asked curiously, pointing to a tray of sliced orange fruit.

"That, my dear is a star mango." He informed her," It is a fruit that's common on Caracole Island - a small island to the west of us, would you like to try some?"

The tiny brunette thought it over for a second, before nodding," Yes, please."

As the old man carefully placed several pieces onto one of the small plates, he tactfully ignored the stares he was getting from the rest of the people present. Yes, bringing his six-year-old granddaughter to what was essentially a war meeting was a little… unorthodox, but it wasn't like there were any other alternatives.

Gildarts had been arrested the night before and Cornelia had gone to bail him out, leaving the little girl with him. Why the Ace had been arrested the old man didn't know and since it apparently had nothing to do with Fairy Tail he had decided that he did not want to know. And since it was coming up on S-Class season the guild was practically deserted- which is why he decided to bring her along.

It wasn't like she was disruptive or distracting in any way (besides being the cutest little girl on the face of the planet- no he was not biased thank you)- she was mostly silent except for when she whispered question to him, to ask for the odd definition or what a certain guild was being discussed.

"So, is this your little granddaughter Makarov?" Ooba, the master of the Lamia Scale guild who was hosting this conference, asked curiously," Quiet as a little mouse- you should be proud. My grandchildren run around like little hell beasts and yours is as sweet as can be."

"I'm Cana its nice to meet you ma'am." The child said politely to the old woman who smiled.

"And she knows her manners too!" She commented with an impressed smile," My name is Ooba little one, I've been working with your grandfather for almost forty years."

"Really?" The brunette asked in awe," That's like- _forever_."

"I suppose it is." The old woman acknowledged," Tell me child- are you going to be a wizard for Fairy Tail one day?"

"Yes ma'am!" Cana said eagerly," I'm going to be S-Class like Daddy and when Laxus is master I'll be his assistant!" She said proudly.

Ooba gave her an indulgent smile," I look forward to seeing how you grow child- mark my words you are going to be a force to be reckoned with one day." With that the old woman walked off, presumably to go harass someone into getting her a plate.

"She was nice." The little girl commented to her grandfather as the two sat back down at the conference table.

"Indeed, she was." Makarov said putting the small plate in front of her," Now eat up before the lion in your belly starts to roar."

"He does get cranky at snack time." The little girl conceded, popping a piece of mango into her mouth and lighting up," Its good!"

"So it is."

It wasn't long before the meeting was back under way, unfortunately with a few… disruptions.

"That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" A wizard said scathingly to an odd wizard from Blue Pegasus.

"Your repugnant parfum tells me all I need to know." The red-headed troll said in what was probably intended to sound smooth," No one who puts out such a wretched scent of disrespect is worth taking seriously."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY FUCKWIT?!"

"No name calling!"

All wizards blinked and turned to the scowling child who pointed at the initiator in open disapproval.

"Just 'cause you didn't like what he said doesn't mean you can be a meanie!" The child said, the look of outrage on her face utterly adorable. Like a kitten trying to act like a lion," And no bad words either!" She said firmly.

Ooba let out a howling laugh as she pounded the table with her fist," Maky I think you better leave this one in charge! That grandson of yours is cute but he doesn't have her guts!"

"Thank you for the compliment ma'am." Cana said politely, before turning back to the still discombobulated wizard," Now say you're sorry." She ordered, crossing her arms over her chest for emphasis.

"You gotta be kidding me." He said as he stared at the child… then almost squeaked in terror when the occasional giant glared at him from over his shoulder. His pride wasn't worth dying!

So, grudgingly, he turned back to the freak from Blue Pegasus," I… apologize Ichiya." He said through gritted teeth," It was rude of me to call you that."

"Apology accepted!" The scent-loving whack job said, climbing onto the table to strike a pose," Let the scent of forgiveness fill the air and all forgotten! Thank you for your assistance little one!"

Cana stared at the man for a moment and then slowly inched behind her grandfather. The other man shouldn't have used bad words or called him names, but that didn't mean the other guy wasn't a weirdo.

Maybe if she kept quiet the rest of the meeting he would forget she was there…?

"Never mind that- let's all get back to the matter at hand." Jura said authoritatively and the meeting continued with no further upsets.

Later that night, as Makarov rode the train home with his sleeping granddaughter on his lap he grinned.

Oh Cana was going to be a force to be reckoned with when she got older, and when he was finally ready to retire, between both of his grandchildren he could be assured that the guild would be in good hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The dinosaur bit is almost verbatim what my little sister said when I asked her that question (she's three). Also writing Ichiya was... really, really weird and not something I ever want to repeat again. And I have no idea why Gildarts got arrested- take your pick I just needed both parents out of the way. Also, I have no idea where Caracole Island is in context of this, I just picked west randomly. And for that last on her inheriting the guild, I watched an interesting video recently that went into detail about why Cana is the best choice for the next guildmaster and it was still in my head when I wrote this.


	57. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cornelia finds out that's she's pregnant and decides to do the right thing. She swallows her pride and goes home to tell Gildarts about the baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the original draft of Blessed Man that didn't wind up making the cut, but I managed to revamp it in order to make this happen. Learning just before the actual moment is one thing, but knowing almost from the very beginning is something else entirely.

Cornelia Alberona was a very proud woman, sometimes to a fault.

She had absolutely no problem acknowledging this flaw in her personality.

But for the sake of her pride she had walked away from the greatest thing in her life and now she didn't know what she was supposed to do.

Gildarts wasn't perfect.

He was a flirt, a workaholic, and a borderline alcoholic (so was she to be honest), but she loved him and she really hoped that he still loved her. Their relationship wasn't all fights and struggle and frustration- in the beginning it had been magical.

Like when they had laid out in the middle of nowhere to look at the stars and fireflies had spiraled around them like fairy dust. When they had been rained in and spent all their time pounding away at that beat up old piano and she had looked over and seen how his smile made his eyes light up and she realized that she had fallen in love. All the late nights, all the laughter, the joy… why had she thrown it all away?

And now she was pregnant.

In seven months she was going to become a mother and Gildarts was going to become a father.

They'd talked about this. How many children they wanted, what their names would be… when things had started breaking down between them, they'd stopped talking.

But he would be an amazing father, she'd seen the way he looked at children playing in the street, how gentle he'd been when he pulled those little ones from the rubble when they first met… this baby… no matter how he felt about her, he'd love their baby more than anything in the world.

She could see it in her mind, of her husband holding their newborn baby like they were made of sugar glass, smiling as their child took their first steps toward him, pushing them on the swing… if she gave him the chance he'd be an incredible father.

_If_

She was a stubborn, prideful person. And even though she dealt with the guilt and heartbreak that came from walking away… she hadn't left without reason.

She was tired of always being left at home, of him spending hours at the guild instead of spending time with her, of waking up in the middle of the night to her husband gone and a scribbled note that he'd taken another job. She deserved to be treated like she mattered, but she hadn't tried very hard to fix things either.

She could've suggested marriage counseling, she could have sat down and told him exactly what she felt, she could have done a lot of things.

Cornelia Alberona was a very prideful person, but… was her pride worth depriving her child of a father?

Even if he didn't love her anymore, even if they could never go back to the life that they had once shared… he deserved to be a part of this baby's life. And even if he would never be hers again, at least he would still be in her life.

And if nothing else… if nothing else then she would at least know where they both stood. Together or not.

oOOOOo

Three weeks.

Three weeks since everything had fallen apart. Three weeks since he had slept well. Three weeks since he had said things he hadn't meant and let his wife walk out the door.

Three weeks and Gildarts could honestly say that he was falling apart.

Three weeks and he still kept hoping that she would walk back through that door and give him another chance.

Talk about a pipe dream.

He had treated her like dirt. Always shoved her feelings to the side and put his thrill-seeking lust for adventure over his wife. Had left for jobs while she was sleeping to avoid the fights he knew were coming. He had hurt her so badly… if he was in Conny's shoes he would have kicked him to the curb ages ago.

Now… what was he supposed to do?

How was he supposed to pick up and carry on without her in his life? How could he keep living in this empty house, sleep in a bed that was way too big, constantly see the ghosts of the life they could have had if he wasn't such a pathetic coward-

He blinked trying to figure out if he'd actually just heard that, or if he was imagining things again.

A second knock sounded at the door and he hesitantly got up, trying not to let the hope build up in his chest and opened the door.

And almost collapsed when he saw the beautiful face of his Cornelia on the other side.

She swallowed nervously and quietly asked, with a hesitancy he'd never seen from her before," Can I come in?"

He gaped like an idiot for a second before blurting out," Of course you can!" Of course she could come in- this was her house why did she think she needed to ask?

Then the two of them were sitting across from each other at their small kitchen table in an awkward silence neither knew how to break.

Cornelia was the first to bite the bullet," Gildarts… I'm so sorry."

He jerked- why was she apologizing? She didn't do anything wrong it was his fault-!

She continued, trying to get everything out before she lost her nerve," Fairy Tail is such a huge part of your life- I had no right to ask you to give that up and you help so many people that it's so selfish to ask you to stop-" She took a deep breath to try and get herself under control," I don't want this to be the end. I want to wake up every morning with you by my side, I want to be with you for the rest of my life- I-I just… please just say something." She pleaded.

"Why are you apologizing?" He blurted out, wincing at how that must have sounded," What I mean- Conny I'm the one who screwed up. I didn't care enough about you- I put Fairy Tail first and that's not fair. I haven't slept right since you left, and I've been staring at that door hoping that you'd walk back through it. Conny, if you give me another chance- if you give me another chance, I promise things will be different this time!"

For a moment silence reigned in the small kitchen as Cornelia stared in wide-eyed disbelief at her husband, then let out a small laugh," We're a right pair of idiots, aren't we?"

For some reason this was the straw that broke the camel's back as both husband and wife broke down laughing. Falling onto the floor and clinging onto each other as they laughed. Fingers lacing together in the perfect they'd always been.

After a while they finally calmed down and Gildarts pulled her into his arms and kissed her as desperately as he needed air. The two breaking apart after several minutes and gently laying their foreheads together.

"Gildarts…" She started," Gildarts, we both fucked up, but I think we can do this. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and now… now I guess we have even more reason to fix things."

The Ace blinked and stared down at the brunette in confusion, as she took his hand and gently laid it on her belly and held it there, a gentle smile on her lips. "Gildarts, I'm pregnant."

Cornelia was not a woman who strongly believed in gods or fate, but as she watched this amazing man's face light up, pure joy etched across every feature as his smile stretched from ear to ear… well, just this once she'd call herself a believer.

oOOOOo

Once again, he couldn't sleep, but it wasn't out of grief this time.

Gildarts stared down at Cornelia's peaceful face as she slept folded in his arms where she belonged.

This woman and the life they were creating… if he ever needed proof of gods or miracles this was it.

She had come back, she had forgiven him for everything he'd done, they were going to do things right this time- they were going to communicate, they were going to sort their problems out, they weren't going to give up so easily. Conny was right, they definitely had some excellent incentive.

A baby.

They were going to have a baby.

His gaze drifted downward towards his wife's covered belly… towards where their baby was growing.

Slowly, so he didn't wake her (she needed her sleep now more than ever- she was making a whole new human being), he carefully peeled the blankets back and slowly pushed her nightgown up until her stomach was exposed.

The smooth expanse of her lower belly looked as it always had, but if he _really_ looked he could almost make out a curve that was just beginning to take shape.

He ghosted his fingertips across her skin, carefully letting his hand rest right over her navel.

Their child was growing under his hand. His magnificent wife was going to bring their child into the world… a beautiful little baby made from the love that they shared.

"Hi there." He said softly, feeling a few more tears build in his eyes," I'm your Daddy. I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that I love you so much already, that Mommy loves you so much already. You are a miracle and I'm going to make sure you know it. You don't have to worry about anything, Daddy's learned his lesson and he's never going to make the same mistake again. All you have to do is grow big and strong." He smiled finally letting the tears fall," Oh I can't wait to meet you- but don't rush. Take your time in there until you're good and ready, don't worry, I can wait."

He started slightly when Conny's hand came up to rest over his own. His eyes darting to meet hers and the gentle smile she gave him as she rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand.

They stayed like that the rest of the night, nothing else needing to be said.

oOOOOo

To say the Fairy Tail guild was curious would be an understatement.

Gildarts spent most of his days by the guild when he was home, but Cornelia?

They could count the amount of times she came over on one hand, add onto it that this was the first time anyone'd seen either them in weeks… well everyone was trying to figure out what was happening.

No one had ever seen Gildarts as happy as he was now, the man was practically vibrating in place and sent his wife love-struck grins every few minutes. It was like a kid in love for the first time.

Makarov was the first person to ask.

"So- first time I've seen either of you in a while." He noted casually as he settled at the bar next to the happy couple.

The two looked at each other and shrugged.

"We hit a rough patch," The brunette admitted," But we worked things out."

The old man smiled," That's good to hear."

The Ace gave his wife a peck on the cheek and she gave him a long-suffering grin and mock-sighed," Go ahead." When her husband looked at her in surprise she shrugged," Go ahead and tell them, I know you want to."

The redhead stared at his wife in amazement for a second before throwing his arm around her," Hey everyone!" He yelled across the hall, as soon as he had everyone's attention, he proudly exclaimed," We're having a baby!"

For a moment all was still, then the hall erupted in cheers as everyone swarmed the two of them.

"Oh my god- congratulations!"

"You guys are going to be awesome parents!"

"LET'S DRINK TO THE NEW BABY!"

Everyone went wild at that last one. Cheering as the good alcohol was pulled out from the basement and the Fairy Tail party quickly was underway. Everyone celebrating the baby on the way.

Makarov approached the happy couple and pulled them both into a hug," Congratulations you two." He said looking at the two of them with proud eyes," You two are going to be wonderful parents."

Both of them smiled and Gildarts verbalized what they were both thinking," Thank you Master. I can't wait for our baby to its grandfather."

The old man blinked in shock before he started wailing," Grand- oh I'm having another grandbaby!" The old man was crying a river with his tears of joy.

Throughout it all the two of them smiled, pleased beyond belief at just how much love everyone had for their baby before it was even born. Fairy Tail was wild and destructive, but a fantastic place to raise a child.

oOOOOo

Her husband was acting like a drunken puppy.

She really couldn't think of any other way to describe him.

He was practically bouncing around Magnolia's shopping district, looking at all of the tiny little baby toys and adorable little outfits with a goofy grin on his face.

He'd insisted that they needed to start getting ready right that moment- because their baby needed so much and it was only fair that they made sure that the little one had everything they could possibly want.

"Conny what do you think of this one?" Gildarts asked holding up a tiny little onesie with 'daddy's little princess' embroidered across the chest.

The brunette raised an eyebrow," You know there's an equal chance that we're having a boy, right?"

The Ace flushed slightly, before shaking his head," It's a girl." He said firmly.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Father's intuition."

She smirked," Oh, and here I thought it was mother's intuition."

"Not this time."

His enthusiasm must be contagious, because she could feel a grin spreading across her face as her husband bent down and put a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Conny… I keep expecting to blink and find out this is all a wonderful dream."

She gave him a quick kiss on the nose," This is real. And if it really is a dream then I don't want to wake up either. Now we have to hurry up- my appointment's in twenty minutes."

Ten minutes later and the two of them were seated in the waiting room of the maternity clinic. Today was just a general check in to make sure baby was healthy and to pinpoint a due date.

"Alberona-Clive!"

The two eagerly stood up and followed the nurse back.

The nurse laid Conny down before explaining what was going to happen," Okay- since this is your first check up with us here's what's going to happen. This lacrima here," She pointed to the round crystal on the end of a device that looked similar to an ear horn," Is going to be laid on your belly, and if your baby's in position we'll get to hear their heartbeat. You're a little too early for a detailed scan, but we are going to take pictures of the little one with a different lacrima that's being used right now. Any questions?"

The husband and wife exchanged a look and shook their heads and the nurse carefully laid the device on Cornelia's belly and a quick, fluid sound filled the room.

The nurse smiled," Sounds like the little one is doing just perfect." She informed the parents who looked awestruck at the sound of their child's heartbeat.

"Is it supposed to be that fast?" Gildarts asked nervously, relieved when the nurse nodded.

"A normal fetal heart rate is between one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty beats per minute- your little one seems to holding steady at one thirty five." She said with a small smile, happy to ease the anxious father's worries.

"When do you think we can find out what we're having?" Cornelia asked curiously, getting a shrug in return.

"Depends on what position the little one decides to stay in when they get big enough- normally I'd say around eighteen to twenty weeks but I've seen some stubborn kids who kept the secret til the end."

The red head let out a snort, making his wife raise an eyebrow at him," And what's so funny?" She asked pointedly.

The Ace shrugged," If she's anything like you sweetheart then we'll be guessing up until the last moment."

The pregnant woman playfully rolled her eyes," You mean if _he_ is anything like me we'll be left guessing." She said with a teasing grin, her husband leaning over to give her a quick peck.

The nurse cleared her throat," Okay- I'm going to leave you guys alone for a few minutes while I go grab the doctor, sound good?"

Both adults nodded and she left the room.

"…who do you think they'll look like- you or me?" Cornelia asked quietly, staring down at her now covered belly.

"If we really are having a pretty little girl, well, she's going to look just like her mom." Gildarts said softly, grabbing his wife's hand," But if we have a boy… I don't know. As long as they are healthy I really don't care."

"Same here."

The door opened to reveal a kindly blonde-haired woman with peculiar pink eyes," Hi." She said with a warm smile," I'm Dr. Addison, shall we get started?"

oOOOOo

"Put bar A, through slot E, securing with washers H, using wrench F which is- "Gildarts cut himself off glaring sourly at the directions," Not provided."

Cornelia stifled a laugh from where she was going over all the clothes they'd gotten, carefully organizing them by size and color to create a beautiful rainbow effect when they opened the drawer.

The couple had been rained inside their house for almost a week now and had decided to go ahead and start working on the nursery since they had the time.

"This so fucking stupid." The Ace growled, about ready to tear his hair out," It's a fucking crib- not a magic mobile! It shouldn't be this hard!"

The brunette rolled her eyes," Why don't you let me give it a try- "

"No!" He said dismissively, before giving his wife an exasperated look," Conny, I don't think you understand how this works."

The pregnant woman still feeling an icy calm wash over her as she sweetly questioned," Oh, I don't do I?"

Gildarts froze, recognizing the tone of her voice that told him he had ten seconds to plead his case or he was screwed. "Conny you are building a new life from scratch. Your usual magnificence has tripled as you are doing something that my fragile male ego can't even begin to comprehend. Something that my body would never be able to do. You are the one doing all the hard work, now all you should be doing is sitting back and relaxing while I take care of everything else."

She gave him a smile, tears building in her eyes," Nice save." She said playfully, happy as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek.

"But it's the truth."

oOOOOo

"BETS TAKEN!" A newcomer to the guild, Macao yelled happily," Come on place your bets now! I'm offering very good odds on delivery date combined with gender!"

"This is ridiculous." Cornelia said in exasperation, watching as the majority of the guild swarmed the young fire wizard.

"Oh, let them have their fun." Makarov said playfully from his perch next to the pregnant woman.

Gildarts was off on a brief courier mission- completely beneath someone of his caliber but considering the client requested him personally and was willing to pay through the nose… well they had a baby on the way. It was best that they start stockpiling as much as they can.

"So…" The old man said, clearly trying to be casual," Have you found out what my new grandchild is going to be?" He asked hopefully.

The brunette shrugged," Well its not a warthog I can tell you that much." She said drily which made the miniature guildmaster pout like a child.

And speaking of children…

"Good morning Miss Cornelia!" Laxus said cheerfully with a bright, gap-toothed, smile.

"Good morning Laxus." She said fondly, helping the child up onto the bar stool," And what do you think you'll be up to today?"

The little boy brightened," My teacher said I'm ready to start reading chapter books!" He said his enthusiasm making both adults brighten.

"Chapter books already?" Makarov asked with a proud grin," You know your father didn't start reading like that until he was almost six."

"…really?" Laxus asked in complete awe that he might be better than his father at something.

"Really." The old man confirmed with a smile.

The little boy started bouncing in his seat, completely thrilled with this new information and Cornelia decided to be nice.

"Well, we have to celebrate an achievement like this." She pointed out, grinning at the way the little boy seemed to hold his breath at the prospect of a reward," How about I take you out for ice cream after your class? If it's okay with your grandfather of course."

Laxus turned his best puppy eyes onto his grandfather, who broke almost instantly.

"Of course its alright with me!" He exclaimed proudly," And I'm coming to! I have to brag all about you to everyone I know!" He said affectionately ruffling the boy's hair.

The brunette let out a small laugh as she took in the sweet scene, then she froze. Her expression falling as she went almost catatonic, one hand coming to rest on her belly.

"Miss Cornelia are you okay?" The little boy asked in concern, his grandfather echoing him a minute later.

"Cornelia? Cornelia can you hear me?" The man asked in alarm, noticing how the woman barely seemed to be breathing. "Are you alright? Is there something wrong with the baby?"

"Can someone get Gildarts please?" She asked quietly.

"WAKABA!" Makarov yelled across the hall to one of the other newcomers," Get Gildarts now! Tell him somethings wrong."

The smoker nodded, looking slightly pale, but immediately bolting out the door as the rest of the hall swarmed around the dazed mother to be.

oOOOOo

"GILDARTS!"

The Ace turned at the sound of his name, an eyebrow raised as he took in the panting man he vaguely recognized as one of the two newbies that were always hitting up the bar.

"What's up?" He asked, slightly concerned as the other man let out a wheeze.

"It's- "Wakaba took in a deep breath," Master sent me- something wrong with Cornelia-"

"What happened?!" He demanded, terror shooting through him as he didn't even bother to wait for the other man to answer. Bolting in the direction of the guildhall as quickly as he could.

What was wrong?

He'd been gone for maybe four hours- how could something have possibly happened without him there?!

Was something wrong with the baby or was something wrong with Conny?!

They had passed the danger window- was this one of those second trimester complications they'd been warned about?!

He burst through the doors (more accurately he destroyed the doors) and made a beeline shoving people out of his way until he could be next to his wife.

"Conny what's wrong?" He asked desperately, taking in his wife's pale and shocked face," Do you need me to take you to the hos-" His hand was grabbed and placed onto her belly," What-" His confused exclamation was short lived when he felt it.

A small pressure against his hand, barely noticeable.

"It's finally moving around in there." Conny said quietly, her husband joining her in her shocked and awed state as they felt their child move against their palms.

"Wait- _IT'S MOVING?!_ "

The tense atmosphere vanished like a mirage as everyone started celebrating.

The parents to be sat through all the chaos and the cheers, focused on the soft movements of their baby.

This was bliss.

oOOOOo

"I told you so!" Gildarts crowed happily as the two of them walked out of the office.

Cornelia rolled her eyes," I think you'll find I never disagreed with you- I just pointed out that there was an equal chance."

The Ace suddenly dropped down to his knees, pressing one ear to her swollen belly," Uh-huh, uh-huh- oh what was that last princess? Are you trying to say that Mommy should concede defeat and give Daddy a victory kiss? Oh, what a good little girl you are." He cooed, looking up at his exasperated wife with the most innocent face he could muster," You should really listen to our little girl Conny. Not even born yet and she's already so smart."

"I'm sure she is." The woman said dryly," Now get up- we have the 'surprise' baby shower to get to."

"Shhh not so loud." Gildarts said playfully looking around for any sign of eavesdroppers," We gotta let them have this one- they'd all be so disappointed if they found out we knew."

"I'm sure."

"She's going to every bit as beautiful as you are." He said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Cornelia looked up at him," And what if I want her to have your eyes?" She asked playfully, reaching up to press a kiss to the tip of his nose," I wouldn't mind if she came out a redhead either."

The Ace shrugged, too drunk on happiness to care about anything else," It doesn't matter what color her hair is or her eyes- she's going to be beautiful like you no matter what."

She was blinking back tears," How are you always this stupidly romantic?" She asked him incredulously, making him let out a booming laugh that sent vibrations through her chest.

"It's just a gift of mine darling."

oOOOOo

"You want me to what?" Gildarts demanded incredulously, staring at the miniature guildmaster just waiting for the old man to laugh about the joke.

But Makarov leveled him with a serious stare," Gildarts believe me if I had any other options I wouldn't ask, but this emergency request cannot be ignored."

"Master- Conny's due any day now! You can't seriously ask me to leave!"

"If I had any other choice I wouldn't." The old man said, stone faced," But the fact of the matter is that you are the only S-Class wizard currently available and Fairy Tail is the closest guild to Jericho- if we ignore this there is no telling how many lives could be lost."

The Ace crumbled; Master was right. He couldn't ignore this.

"Let me talk to Conny." He said quietly," I can't leave unless she's okay with it."

This was how it had all started. Him being an idiot with a hero complex had almost cost him his marriage, and now it might cost him witnessing his daughter's birth.

The doctor had been clear- Conny had reached term and at any point within the next two weeks it could suddenly be show time. He couldn't miss this; he didn't want to miss this.

He trudged home slowly, savoring the chill in the air.

He didn't want to miss his daughter's birth… but he also couldn't ignore the people that needed help.

"Conny!" He yelled as he stepped through the front door," I'm home!"

"I'm in the kitchen!"

Going by the smells wafting through the air, she was still meal prepping. They'd heard enough horror stories that she'd been cooking for almost three days straight to make sure they had enough to last them six months when the baby got here. He'd tried to help but after he almost melted the stove it was decided that he should stick to moral support.

Gildarts rested in the doorway, watching his wife hum to herself as she put the finishing touches on the stew that would be dinner at some point. Her belly made it hard for her to navigate through their small kitchen. According to the doctor, Arcana was now in a head-down position that was ideal for birth, but unfortunately had the side effect of increasing the size of her mother's belly.

He came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms, the brunette starting in surprise.

"Don't scare me like that!" She said in mock admonishment," You heard what she said- any day now!"

"Yeah I know." He said quietly, and the look on his face must have clue her in.

She turned off the burners as she looked at him in open concern," What's wrong."

He swallowed nervously, before admitting," The guild got an emergency job request this morning. A monster is rampaging through Jericho. I'm the only S-Class wizard available right now."

The admission sat heavily in the air, as she processed the news.

She took a deep breath," How long do you think you'll be? I don't want to have her without you, but if you have to be there by lacrima then we'll make it work."

Gildarts started," You're okay with- "

"I knew what kind of man you were when I married you." She interrupted calmly," You're not a man who can stand by while people are in danger. You always have to charge in like some knight in shining armor to save the day and I love that about you. I lost sight of things for a while, but when you go out to help people not because you want the praise, but because it's the right thing to do." She took his hand and laid it against her belly, Arcana giving him a good kick," I'm so proud of you Gildarts. And she will be too. Just because you missed the birth doesn't make you any less her father."

She gently kissed him," Now go save the day- the sooner you leave the sooner you'll be back. I'll do what I can until then."

All he could do was stare at his wife in amazement. "How did I get so lucky?"

A shrug," Having big muscles and excellent cheekbones certainly helped. Now get going."

He grinned," I'll be back in time." He swore," And I'll grab both of you a present on my way back."

"I look forward to it."

oOOOOo

It was the fastest he had ever completed an S-Class job in his life.

It took him a day and a half to get to Jericho, two hours of getting briefed by the poor people who'd put in the request, and twenty minutes to kill the damn thing. Add in another two days to get back home, because some fuckwit blew up the nearest train station- and he was finally back.

"Master." He greeted politely, wanting to wrap this up as fast as possible," Mission went great, monster is dead, glory for Fairy Tail- we good?"

The old man looked totally amused and nodded," We're good." He said trying not to laugh," Now go home to your wife Gildarts, she's waiting for you."

The Ace nodded and spun on his heel, when he stopped," Master, did I…" He couldn't even bring himself to finish the question, but thankfully the smaller man understood.

"She hasn't made her grand entrance yet, if that's what you're asking," Makarov softened," Go home Gildarts, hug your wife and rest easy, you haven't missed a thing."

Relief spread through him.

He hadn't missed it. Conny was still pregnant.

What the fuck was he still doing here when he could be cuddling with his wife?

"Thanks Master- goodnight!" He yelled over his shoulder as he bolted out of the guildhall.

By the time he made it home it was almost midnight.

He let himself in and, as carefully as he could (it took a lot of concentration) he dropped his things and made his way up the stairs.

Conny was fast asleep, curled up under the blankets with every pillow they owned strategically placed to ensure maximum comfort.

He grinned at the sight of his beautiful wife sleeping in her own little nest like a small animal, and carefully climbed in, pulling her against his chest.

She smiled," Welcome home."

"Sorry- didn't mean to wake you." He whispered, pressing a kiss to his wife's head, one hand going down to rub her belly.

"Hold me and I'll forgive you." She mumbled, already halfway back to dreamland.

"Can do." He said with a grin, settling down to sleep himself.

He woke up after some unknown amount of time alone.

Gildarts groped around in the darkness, and after failing to locate his wife, groggily sat up.

The bathroom light was on and he could hear the sound of running water from the sink.

Conny re-entered the room, shooting him an apologetic look when she noticed he was awake.

"Didn't mean to wake you." She apologized, but Gildarts just shrugged.

"You okay?"

The pregnant woman let out an exasperated huff," Your daughter has been sitting on my bladder for almost two days now."

He smirked," So she's my daughter, now is she?"

"For now, until she decides to move- then she'll be ours again." Cornelia said playfully as she settled back down on the blankets and was about to try to go back to sleep, when she let out a hiss," Ow, fuck."

He sat up," Are you okay?" He asked in concerned, but she waved him off.

"Just Braxton-Hicks." She explained, settling in," They've been sneaking up on me for the last few days."

That seemed to be the end of it as the couple settled back, both attempting to fall back to sleep.

Then Cornelia let out another pained hiss.

Gildarts was mildly alarmed," Conny, those were really close together- "

"Just a coincidence." She said dismissively, only for her husband to raise an eyebrow.

"Have you tried timing these coincidences?"

"No, but- "

"Humor me, please?"

She huffed but conceded defeat. "Fine- it's not like I was going to be able to sleep that well anyway."

It took a moment for the Ace to find the small stopwatch in the dark, settling himself by his wife's side, ready to hit the timer if she had another contraction.

"So, what did you do while I was gone?" He asked curiously, trying to stave off the awkward silence.

"Not much." She admitted," Though I did threaten to castrate Ivan- bastard tossed out the bracelet Laxus made for him."

Gildarts snorted," Wish I could've been around to see that." Ivan's treatment of Laxus had been a frequent topic of conversation between them, especially since they had begun preparing for their own child.

"I swear Gildarts- one of these days I'm just going to tell Makarov we're keeping him and bring him home."

"Who- Laxus or Ivan?" He asked playfully, getting a half-hearted swat.

"Don't be a smartass." She scolded, before shaking it off," Seriously though, no kid should be treated like that."

The crash mage nodded," We're in total agreement." He said firmly," The day you decide enough is enough, I'll turn the spare into a room for him. If you think about it, it'll almost be better than a pregnancy- no waiting period for one thing."

"True." She said in amusement before groaning as another pain hit her.

Gildarts didn't waste any time, immediately clicking the stopwatch.

Cornelia pressed her hand into her belly, trying to edge the pain away," Okay." She conceded," These might be something."

He didn't bother to gloat," Conny…are we ready?" He asked quietly.

She looked over at him, taking in the unusual nervous expression on his face and gave him a soft smile," Yeah. Yeah, I think we are Gildarts. We've got each other and soon we'll have her."

"And maybe Laxus."

"And maybe Laxus." She agreed, before changing the subject," So, did you bring back any souvenirs?" She asked playfully, feeling a warmth in her chest when he flashed her that boyish grin she loved so much and dove for the bag he'd left by the door.

"It's not much, but… well I figured you'd appreciate it over jewelry," He said as he carefully passed her a paper-wrapped object.

She carefully unwrapped it, to reveal a large chunk of what was clearly some sort of monster horn.

"Hacked it off myself." Her dope of a husband said proudly, beaming like a dog that brought back the stick. If he had a tail, she was pretty sure it would be wagging. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." She said honestly," We'll have to display it somewhere, it'd be a nice showpiece."

"I also got something for little girl." He said pulling out an adorable teddy bear, with velvet-soft fur and a red bow tied around its neck.

She found herself tearing up," Stupid hormones." She said smiling as she took the bear.

Her little one had an incredible daddy, that wasn't even a question.

"Fuck." She swore as another contraction crashed down over her head.

Gildarts clicked the stopwatch of and stared between his wife and the small clock in awe. "Twenty-five minutes exactly. Conny," He whispered, a stunned smile on his face," You're in labor."

"That's amazing. Now shut up and let me go back to sleep." She said fondly, stifling a snort at his outraged expression," There's nothing we can do until they either get down to five minutes apart or my water breaks- so I'm going to try to sleep while I can."

He let out a breath and nodded. She was right after all.

As they settled down again, he said one last thing," Conny… thank you. Thank you for everything."

She smiled," You don't have to thank me for anything- I wouldn't be here now if I didn't have such an amazing man at my side to make this all possible."

oOOOOo

She was here. Arcana was here.

It had taken sixteen hours, but she was finally here.

Six pounds and ten ounces. Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes.

She could fit in the palm of his hand…

This was the greatest day of his life.

Even if Cornelia had broken his hand- nothing else mattered right now, just his two best girls. Both of whom were exhausted after the long day.

Well, Conny was exhausted- Arcana was hungry.

His little girl was currently nursing at her mother's breast, Conny smiling down at her with a peaceful smile on her face.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked, quirking a brow at her husband.

"You. Her. The two of you together." He said honestly," This is the greatest day of my life."

"Sorry about your hand." She said, wincing in sympathy when she got a look at the splint he'd been outfitted with but he waved her off.

"This is nothing." He said dismissively," If nothing else this'll be a funny story to tell."

She laughed," Very true." She looked down at the little girl and laughed again," I think she's asleep."

"Seriously?" He asked incredulously. Walking over only to see that his wife was right- their little girl had fallen asleep in the middle of her meal.

Cornelia gently eased the little girl off and rubbed her back until she spit up a little bit of milk (and somehow was still asleep- hopefully this meant good things for the future).

"You wanna hold her?" Gildarts started but nodded and carefully accepted the bundle of joy.

Arcana was so light that it hardly felt like he was holding anything. She was fragile and delicate, and so beautiful.

"You know." He said, settling down next to his wife on her hospital bed," I love her name and all- but can we call her 'Cana' for short? It just seems to suit her is all."

The new mother found herself tearing up," I love it. Its perfect."

Happy birthday Cana Clive.

oOOOOo

"Conny- are you sure you don't want to just go home?" Gildarts asked in concern as the three of them approached the doors of the Fairy Tail guildhall," You just gave birth- they said no strenuous activity for the first few weeks."

The brunette affectionately rolled her eyes at her fussing husband," Walking around is not strenuous activity." She said pointedly but stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek," But thank you for the concern."

He grinned down at her and carefully adjusted his grip on the baby carrier that held their sleeping little girl.

At three days old, Cana was looking prettier every second and was downright angelic as she cuddled her bear as she snoozed.

Unfortunately, they had quickly discovered that while she was the heaviest sleeper anybody had ever seen- that did not mean she was an easy baby. She slept when she wanted to sleep and demanded everyone around her adjust things to suit her preferences. Not that her parents minded too much.

The doors to the guildhall opened easily and the new parents stepped in, smiling at the usual bustle and chaos of the Fairies that called this place home.

"Hey everybody!" Gildarts called across the room," We brought somebody we want all of you to meet!"

Even the air went still, as the commotion ceased, and all heads turned to the new parents.

The Ace proudly held up the newborn," I would like you all to meet our daughter: Arcana Rebecca Clive."

Since everyone else was stuck in a stupor, Makarov approached the new parents. The old man took one look at the sweet face of his newborn granddaughter and broke down in happy tears.

"Oh, she's so beautiful-!" He wailed, which set off a chain reaction as the entire hall scrambled to get a look at the little girl.

At some point both Gildarts and Cornelia wound up seated at one of the tables as an impromptu celebration began, with toasts and music and laughter, and happy tears all around.

"Wow." Laxus said in awe as he looked down at his little cousin, who was being held in their grandfather's arms," Was I ever that small?" He asked curiously.

The old man nodded, a gentle look on his face," Indeed you were." He told his little grandson kindly.

"Can I have my baby back Master?" Gildarts interrupted, eager to get his little girl back in his arms, to which the smaller man easily agreed, passing the baby back to her father.

As she watched everything around her, Cornelia smiled, completely content.

This was the greatest blessing that she could have ever been given, and she was going to hold onto it with everything she had.

Who needed pride anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was sappy even by my standards, but I wanted to fit in as much of the relationship between the two of them as I could, especially in their 'preparing for baby' stage. The scene with Gildarts taking to unborn Cana was the first thing I wrote, it was just very important to me. The second part I wrote was the scene with the crib- the world seems split between those who can follow IKEA directions and those who can't, I just thought it would be funny before leading up into the sappiness. I had originally planned on putting a different chapter up but it failed quality checks at the last minute.
> 
> Hope you guys liked this one!


	58. Gearhead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts lost an arm and a leg on his failed century quest, thankfully Cana knows a thing or two about automail. Isn't it interesting that something so innocent as a name can reveal everything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a crossover clusterfuck that takes inspiration from about 5-6 different fics (some of which are mine) and a prompt from Midnight Rose 365. By the end of this you are either going to think I'm insane or that I got stupid lucky that this somehow worked.

"You know how to fix a magic mobile?"

"Yup." Cana replied absently as she tightened the last few bolts holding the lacrima converter in place.

"Why do you know how to fix an magic mobile?"

"Is there some reason I shouldn't?"

Gray continued staring at his best friend as she continued fitting the pieces of the magic mobile back together. They had taken a job together and the client had loaned it to them- when it had broken down the ice wizard had been resigned to kissing their reward goodbye. Cana had shrugged, pulled a small toolkit out of the passenger compartment and set to working taking the whole thing apart and then putting it back together.

The brunette girl seemed totally at ease among the nuts and bolts that made up the machine. Gray had always known that Cana had never been as girly as some of the others (not that there was anything wrong with being girly or not being girly) and while he had no problem with it, he was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that his ballerina best friend not only knew how to take an engine apart, but could expect it to work when she put it back together again.

The card mage shrugged as she pulled something that looked alarmingly like a weapon from the tool kit," I have a degree in mechanical engineering from Fiore National."

"You have a what?!" The ice make wizard asked incredulously, his jaw almost hitting the pavement," Since _when_?!"

"Since last month." She answered nonchalantly, putting the finishing touches on the machine. Satisfied, she pushed herself up, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, unintentionally smearing her face with grease. "That should do it."

True to her word- the magic mobile not only started, it ran smoother than it had before. The two drove in silence for a while before Gray decided to restart the questioning.

"How come you didn't tell me about your degree?" He asked, slightly hurt that he hadn't known about an accomplishment as big as this in his surrogate sister's life.

"Gee Gray, I never realized that keeping details of my life to myself was so unfair. You're right- I obviously should have been telling you everything. I should rectify this right now- how about we start with my cup size?" She retorted, the sarcasm dripping of her words, before she sighed.

"I got my degree through Fiore State's accelerated program. I only took classes that pertained to my specific degree and skipped all Gen Ed classes and extracurriculars- thing is I found out that I'd been accepted to the program two days after Lisanna died." The brunette shrugged," It didn't seem right to mention it when we were all still upset."

That… was actually really reasonable. "But why didn't you say anything since then?"

"I just figured that it didn't matter- its not like it affects my performance on jobs or anything. I got a degree- something thousands of people do globally every year."

"But those thousands of people aren't you Cana." Gray said seriously, staring intently at his best friend. Her insecurities, he should've figured they'd be the cause of this. Cana was one of the most incredible people he knew, but her self esteem was shit. She'd never brag about herself because she harbored the (moronic) belief that no one would care. "I've heard about the accelerated programs at Fiore National- don't they only accept five applicants a year?"

"Five per department- "The brunette tried to correct, but her foster brother cut her off.

"That doesn't cheapen your accomplishment." The ice wizard said pointedly," You pulled off something that a lot of people couldn't do- don't think for a second the guild wouldn't brag to everyone about this."

"But- "

"No buts." He said firmly before a question popped into his brain," How did this even get started? I mean why mechanics?"

The violet eyed girl shrugged," I went to a workshop on automail mechanics and really liked it. I mean, I don't have the mind for something as complex as prosthetic creation or the medical background to be able to do the rewiring of the nerves into the pressure plates-" She cut off her rambling and flushed," Sorry. I just- uh- I just really find it cool."

Gray blinked, pushing away the question marks spinning in his brain as he turned onto the road that would take them back to the client's house." Is there anything else about you I don't know?"

"So much Gray. So much."

oOOOOo

News of Cana's degree spread like wildfire as soon as the duo returned home. And, true to Gray's word, the entire guild had thrown a 'Congratulations You're an Engineer Now' party for the brunette, everyone demanding to know why she hadn't told them about this and when her graduation ceremony had been.

Unfortunately, this led to the unintended consequence of the card mage being the new go-to person for repair work.

Cana was secretly touched by their enthusiasm, but she could really do without her landlady asking her to fix the lacrima water heater at Fairy Hills. Was she a lacrima engineer? No, she was a mechanical engineer.

She was qualified to work on stuff like automobiles and amusement park rides- so everybody swarming her to ask her to fix busted lacrimas got old _real_ fast.

Thankfully her father returning from his century quest quickly made her degree old news.

Her father…

Gildarts coming home… it always brought up mixed feelings for her.

Joy that her daddy had come home, excitement because she got to hear all about his journey, pain because he always looked at her and saw a stranger, grief, inadequacy, shame- the list went on and on.

The brunette tried not to think of the approaching S-Class trials, and of the decision she had come to regarding her inevitable failure. She'd always been good about fooling others but fooling herself was something she just didn't have the strength to do anymore.

At least she had that shiny new degree- life as a mechanic had a hell of a lot more security than life as a dancer or musician did. That would make things easier.

"Hey Cana- you got a minute?"

For a moment her brain shut down. Unable to process the voice, the words, or the face that had said them.

"Um- I- sure?" She stuttered, gaping like a concussed fish as her father- the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail- sat down right across from her. Was this actually happening? Had someone slipped her something without her realizing it?!

Gildarts was eyeing her in concern," Um… are you okay Cana?"

"I'm fine!" She blurted out in a rush," What d'you need Gildarts?"

Hallucination or drugs be damned- this might be the only conversation she'd ever have with her father and fuck it all she was taking it.

The Ace looked her up and down, before shrugging," So I hear that you're the person to talk to about mecha- "

"If you need something fixed try a handy man." She interrupted blandly, making the man wince.

"No, it's not like that!" He said hurriedly to reassure her," You see I'm trying to find a good automail engineer and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions, so I know what to look for."

"Gildarts I'm not qualified- "Cana tried to say, before the crash mage interrupted.

"Please? I'll buy the next few rounds."

"…what do you want to know?"

The older male brightened and then began asking his questions. Cana listened to them all, nodding her head politely before she gave him her thoughts.

"Okay- as far as metal types go, if any mechanic offers you something made of iron then I'd leave- you've got enough bulk that you'd probably be okay but they don't handle well over time." She stated, completely in business mode as the red head jotted down her advice," For you I personally think you could handle some of the fancier combat models, but the maintenance on a long job wouldn't be practical for you- steel and carbon-fiber models have the most endurance with a level of maintenance that I think would suit your lifestyle. You also want to ask about the newer modified nerve wirings and hydraulic pressure plates."

"Is there a reason I want to ask for those?" Gildarts asked seriously.

The card mage shrugged," It's more of a preference thing." She explained," With new wiring and plates that route through your nerves to a small lacrima you would regain a lot of fine motor function- I can't give you exact numbers though."

He gave her an impressed look," You know, for someone who claims not to be qualified, you sure seem to know your stuff."

Cana flushed bright pink at the praise," I find automail really interesting." She admitted sheepishly," I don't have the technical skill required for an automail engineer, but I have done a lot of research just because."

"How'd you get interested in automail anyway?" He asked curiously, taking a swig from his glass.

"My grandfather was an automail mechanic for almost forty years," She explained chugging down the beer in her hand before she continued," He died before I was born, but I found some of his old designs and I thought they were cool, so I decided to learn more and really liked it."

Gildarts smiled at the girl," That's nice- you know I actually dated a girl whose father ran an automail shop- what was your grandfather's name? Maybe I've heard of him."

"Dominick Alberona."

He choked.

The Ace started coughing as he tried in vain to get the beer out of his lungs. Had she seriously just-!

"Dominick Alb- do you mean DA Ironworks?!" He asked slightly hysterically, getting a surprised and wary look from the eighteen-year-old.

"Yeah that's right- are you okay?" She asked in concern, but the crash mage wasn't listening. Spiraling down into the traumatic memories of the terrifying man who had fathered the love of his life. Of the talk they'd had when he and Conny had started to date… what he'd said he'd do if he ever hurt her… as horrible as it sounded, he had been kind of relieved the old man had already been dead when he and Conny had split up.

Wait- Conny had been an only child…

A slow realization building in his mind, he asked," Cana- was your mom's name 'Cornelia' by any chance?"

Surprise flashed across the brunette's face," Yeah actually- how did you- "

"Well it was nice talking to you Cana." He interrupted, giving the girl a fake smile," Thanks for the advice, hope you have a nice day."

And he walked away, his heart weighing heavier in his chest with every single step.

oOOOOo

What do you do when you find out that your ex-wife moved on without you finding out?

In Gildarts' case: you get smashed.

He was spiraling towards 'tipsy' with a real possibility of hitting 'wasted' in the near future.

He supposed that he should have seen this coming- after all he hadn't heard about Conny's death until almost five years after the fact, and she had been an incredible, beautiful, _magnificent_ human being. Of course she'd been able to move on with someone else and have a kid.

In hindsight he was wondering how he'd never seen the resemblance before- Cana was the spitting image of her mother, but now he was wondering what traces in her came from the unknown man who'd fathered her.

The unknown man who his wife had moved on with.

For all of his womanizing ways, Gildarts would freely admit that he had never and probably would never truly move on, and selfishly… selfishly he had hoped that maybe it would have been just as hard for her.

How old was Cana anyway? How long had Conny waited before finding someone else who could treat her the way she'd deserved? A week, a month, a year?

They'd never officially gotten divorced ('go to hell you fucking bastard' felt pretty official to him), but maybe she'd done the paperwork and he'd just missed it? Wasn't there some kind of allowance for abandonment where she didn't need his agreement?

It… this was a terrible idea. It would only lead to further heartbreak, but… well the records office was probably still open. How long would it take to see if she had ever properly divorced him so she could marry whoever the hell Cana's father was?

This… even though he knew there was no way this could end well; he was going to do it anyway.

He had to know.

oOOOOo

There should be some kind of cosmic limit on how many world-changing revelations could happen to someone in one day.

He had a baby.

He had a little girl named Rebecca Arcana Alberona, that he shared with the love of his life.

A little girl who now went by 'Cana', who was also a member of his guild and had been since she had been a tiny little thing (she had barely reached his knee… how could he have walked away from her?). Who had been right in front of him all this time and he'd never realized it.

He needed to tell her.

This involved her life just as much as it did his- Cana deserved to know who her father was. And maybe… maybe they could have a relationship. She might not ever call him 'dad' but maybe they could at least be friends or get together for dinner every once in a while.

With that in mind he started walking back towards the guild, hoping to catch her before she left for the day and wound up running into her in the street.

Literally.

He had been lost in thought and she had been trying to walk and read at the same time- naturally that hadn't ended well for either party.

"Ow- shit- "

"Watch where you're- "

Then they'd each realized exactly who had been knocked down to the pavement with them .

"Oh." Cana said in surprise, her gorgeous violet eyes (Conny's eyes… seemed his wife had passed on the best things to their little girl) wide. "Sorry Gildarts." She apologized sheepishly.

"No, it was my fault." He said quickly, picking the both of them back up," I was actually looking for you."

"You were?" She asked incredulously (that was her reaction to him paying attention to her?!).

"Yeah." Tell her. Tell her that you're her father and you love her so much already. "I remembered I wanted to ask if you had any mechanics you recommended." Huh, what do you know? Eighteen years and he was still a fucking coward.

Cana blinked but nodded," I'm kind of in a hurry right now- but I'd say both Rockbell and Garfiel would be a good choice. Um- if you want, I can check and see if either of them are taking new patients...?"

"That would be great thanks." He said with a smile, watching as his beautiful child rushed away, with absolutely no idea that she'd just spoken to her own father.

Next time. Next time for sure.

oOOOOo

Attempt fifty-seven ends in failure.

What a surprise.

Four little words.

Why was it so hard to say four little words?

'I'm your father Cana'- see he could think them just fine. So why the fuck couldn't he say them?!

Every single time he'd been about to tell her something would happen- someone would set of an explosion in the guildhall, Natsu would try to challenge him, she would be called away, or everything would seemingly go right and then his tongue would be lead.

Eighteen years after the biggest mistake of his life and he was still a fucking coward.

"Gildarts! Hey Gildarts wait up!"

The crash mage froze, slowly turning to see his radiant little girl darting through the crowded street to catch up with him.

Cana finally made it to him, panting slightly," Glad I caught you." She said with a grin.

Tell her. Tell her now. "What can I do for you Cana?" Oh, you limpdicked moron.

The brunette pulled a piece of paper out of her bag," I called the Rockbells about your arm and leg- they weren't accepting patients at first but Winry said that they could make an exception since I'm the one's who's asking."

He felt his heart melt. She'd remembered. After a week without her broaching the topic he'd just assumed that she'd forgotten about it- his little girl wanted to help him!

"Thanks." He said with a grateful smile, accepting the offered address," Just out of curiosity- why are they making an exception for you?"

The card mage blinked," Oh, Winry and I were both in the accelerated program at the same time. She owed me a favor and she's even crazier about automail then I am, so I kind of figured that she'd do it."

The accelerated program.

He'd almost forgotten about that (not). The accelerated program at Fiore National University, that only accepted five students per department per year. That received applicants from all across the continent. The program that his baby girl had completed in less than two years to earn her engineering degree.

His heart was just bursting with fatherly pride at her accomplishment.

"You didn't have to call in a favor for me."

Cana blushed slightly and shrugged," You're the strongest member of the guild- you can't go into battle or take jobs with substandard limbs. Winry's one of the best- everything she makes is top notch."

"Well, with such praise I guess she has to be something special." The Ace replied, about to say goodbye when a lightbulb went off in his head." Actually- think you could tag along?"

His girl's gorgeous violet eyes (just like her mother) blinked in confusion," Huh?"

He sheepishly rubbed at the back of his head," I mean you two know each other and you probably know exactly what I should be asking for- why don't you come with me?"

She looked floored at his offer," Um- I- sure?" She said uncertainly.

He grinned," Sounds great- is there like a specific day we need to be there, or can we just show up?"

"Um- Its- we- we can just show up. This is just a consult."

"Sounds great- if you're free we can go tomorrow."

"…sure?"

"See you tomorrow then Cana." Gildarts said with a grin, whistling as he walked away from his still-confused little girl. This would be perfect- he could get his limbs upgraded and learn more about her at the same time! Maybe if they were closer it would be easier to say the words.

oOOOOo

Well… he still wasn't any closer to saying the words, but at least he some shiny new limbs in the making.

Winry was a very sweet girl about Cana's age with bright blue eyes that sparkled when she talked about automail (she _only_ talked about automail). And it was clear that for all Cana claimed that she was not qualified to be an automail mechanic, it wasn't for lack of enthusiasm.

Even though it had been an excuse, it turned out that he actually _had_ needed Cana to filter out the technical jargon. She had seemed right at home in the metal and machine oil of the Rockbell's workshop.

The walk back home was the part that was the best about all this.

He got to spend two uninterrupted hours with his daughter, and he fully intended to make the most of it.

"So," He commented mildly after a while of walking in silence," I know you keep saying that you're not qualified, but back there you seemed so at home."

Cana blushed slightly," Yeah, Winry and I both are gearheads, so I guess that's why we get along so well." She said, side-stepping the unasked question.

But Gildarts was not a man to be deterred," Why didn't you become an automail engineer?"

The brunette stopped and took a deep breath," Honestly? I don't have what it takes."

The Ace raised an eyebrow," And what does it take?"

"Dedication, medical knowledge, the ability to stand firm and not give in when someone's in pain, skill, technical know-how, and not being a screw up just to name a few." She said blandly.

"Well, there's no shame in not being able to see someone in pain." The crash mage started, reeling from just how low her self esteem seemed to be," And the medical know how, but you've got all the rest."

The card mage stopped and stared at him like he'd grown a second head before shaking it off," Thanks for the compliment." She said, faking a smile at him trying so hard to be nice.

After a little while of awkward silence, the crash mage once again tried to break it," So… the S-Class trials are coming up- any idea who's going to be nominated?"

Cana felt a flash of pain as his words stabbed her right in the heart, but she put on a brave face," Probably Natsu or Gray." She said mildly, trying to shove her feelings down," Though Elfman might get called, he's been chomping at the bit for a while now."

"What about you?" He asked curiously," You have your partner picked out yet?"

Fuck, it was like he read up on all the places to hurt her.

"I'm not sure I'm participating this year." She said tightly, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"Why not?"

"I just need a break this year is all- so what about you? You planning on anymore crazy quests?"

He gave her an odd look but let it slide. He shrugged as he answered," Master and I have been talking about another decade quest, but I haven't really got any definite plans yet."

"Well, it'd be a shame if you did, the guild's always so much livelier when you're around." Cana said, flashing her father with the first genuine smile of the day.

Gildarts faltered in the face of the sweet smile on his little girl's face," Oh don't worry- I'll be sticking around for a while this time!"

"That's good."

Okay, this was as good a time as any.

"Cana, I've actually been wanting to talk to you about something."

She turned to give him a quizzical look," Shoot."

This was it. He was going to do it.

"Do you think I could buy you a drink sometime?" Oh, you fucking coward.

This time the brunette stopped and gave him a vaguely creeped out look," Uh… no offense Gildarts but I really don't think about you in that way." She stammered, clearly uncomfortable.

"What?" He asked in confusion as his daughter tried to backtrack.

"I mean- I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but I'm really not interested and uh- I hope we can still be friends but I don't think getting a drink is a good idea-"

Then it clicked.

He felt like he was going to be sick as he frantically tried to set the record straight," Oh! No I didn't mean it like a 'date' drink, I meant like uh- well you've helped me a lot when you didn't need to and I guess- fuck this isn't coming out right-" He was babbling when Cana put up her hand to silence him.

"Lets… lets just pretend this conversation never happened," She said, not looking him in the eye as he nodded.

"Yeah… that sounds like a plan." He said sheepishly as he tried to control his gag reflex.

Of all the times to tell her the truth, right now was definitely not among them.

oOOOOo

Everyone was gathered in the guildhall, waiting for Master to make some kind of announcement. Given that the S-Class trials weren't for another few weeks no one had any clue what this was about.

Gildarts had parked himself in his usual spot at the bar, trying to avoid looking over to where Cana was happily chugging down her fourth barrel of the day.

To say things had been awkward between them was an understatement.

Things had been so fucking uncomfortable that his little girl refused to be alone with him, not convinced that he truly wasn't interested in her like that. She was going out of her way to stay as far away from him as she could, and he was trying to figure out how to convince her that he really didn't want to have sex with her.

Fuck. His daughter thought that he wanted to have sex with her.

How was he supposed to fix this? How could he ever tell her the truth now?

"LISTEN UP YOU SHITTY BRATS!" Makarov yelled, getting the attention from the entire room," It has come to my attention that you lot tend to stay in your own circles and don't interact with each other. To rectify this, I have come up with a, shall we say, _bonding activity_." The evil smirk sent chills down every spine in the room.

This could not be good.

The miniature man walked over to a small wire bingo cage that had been set up on the stage, he flashed his children a wicked smile that promised pain," In this cage are all the names: I'll spin until I get two names out. Whoever I call will go on a job together: there will be no complaining and absolutely no trading partners," He said firmly, glaring at Jet, Droy, and Juvia respectively. "Now, let's get started, shall we?"

The crowd watched with bated breath as the little cage rattled, two small balls finally tumbling out. The old man inspected them before calling out," The first team shall be Happy and Gray!"

Everyone ignored Juvia's wails as they continued on with the matching.

Gildarts watched the cage in mild curiosity, wondering who he was going to get paired with. In the three years he'd been gone the guild had added quite a few new members, it might be interesting to take a job with someone. And then, of course, he was curious about who his baby would be going with.

"Wakaba and Evergreen!"

Damn, those two seemed poorly matched. Oh well, suppose that was the point of all of this anyway.

"Cana and Gildarts."

His eyes bugged out of his skull and he could hear his little girl choke on her drink.

Had that seriously just-?!

Fuck.

Either this was the universe mocking him or it was trying to get him to man up and tell her already.

The Ace sat in a stupor as the rest of the matchings continued. At the end of it all Makarov plucked up a few of the balls and put them back in the cage, flashing the audience a cheerful grin. "Oh yes, one more thing. For my S-Class wizards- one of you is getting an S-Class job!"

What?

He didn't like this. Not one little bit.

His little Cana was strong- but he didn't want to see her in any danger! But, what were the chances? The universe couldn't possibly hate him enough to put them through this, right?

"And the job goes to Cana and Gildarts!

Of course.

Oh well. This happened, all he could do was make the most of it. Who knows, maybe he'd finally get up the nerve.

"So, I guess it's you and me."

oOOOOo

"Yeah, I guess so." Cana said numbly, unable to look her father in the eye. What god had she upset? Or was this some kind of divine punishment for being a fucking coward?

Gildarts seemed to notice how uncomfortable she was and tried to give her an out," Look- if you really don't want to, I can go talk to Master. I'm sure he'd let us out of it if- "

The brunette cut him off with a wide (fake) grin," Don't worry." She reassured him," I'm fine and I'm sure we'll work great together! I'll go get the job request!"

She pushed herself off the table and weaved between the throngs of her guildmates, all eager to get started.

"Mira hit me up!" She called down to the white-haired barmaid, who obligingly slid a beer down the bar, the job request neatly rolled up and placed into the handle of the mug.

Sometimes she loved that girl.

"Okay." She said once she made it back to the table," Seems like we're dealing with a statue that summons fire-breathing zombie dinosaurs- not a sentence I ever thought I'd read." This was definitely going to be one for the record books," Travel time alone looks like its going to take at least three days- what's say we head out first thing in the morning?"

Her father nodded approvingly," Sounds good- seven work for you?"

Cana nodded in confirmation," I'll drop off my rent money tonight and meet you here tomorrow. Have a nice night Gildarts!"

He gave her a soft smile," You too kid."

Minimum seven days spent in the company of her father who didn't know he was her father. She could totally handle this- I mean what could possibly go wrong?

oOOOOo

This had really been an eye-opening experience for him.

He'd known that Cana was strong, but he hadn't realized just how brilliant she really was.

She had fearlessly thrown herself into the fray of fiery hell beasts, figuring where their weak points were and how to hit them flawlessly. She had quickly figured out how to destroy the damn statue that had caused this whole mess in a fraction of the time it would have taken him to figure out the same.

Everything was going perfectly- until he made a mistake.

One of the stupid things managed to catch him right when he had his back turned, sending him flying through several of the remaining walls of the ruined temple. When he finally came to he just laid there for a moment, slowly assessing the damage.

He was getting old.

That was the only explanation for this- five years ago he would've shaken this off like it was nothing, and now here he was passing out after a tiny hit like that.

"GILDARTS!"

The sound of his baby's terrified scream almost made his heart break, but he knew it would be worse if he forced himself to get up and just laid there as he slowly got his bearings.

"GILDARTS!" Cana screamed as she finally made it to her father's side, grabbing his hand and squeezing as she desperately searched for any sign of life," Oh no. Dad. Come on wake up! You're okay, you have to be. I never even told you- "

Gildarts' eyes flew open and he sat up so fast the two of them cracked skulls.

He stared at Cana in wide-eyed shock, as she fell back staring at him like a deer caught in headlights.

She knew.

This whole time she had known the truth.

"What- did you just- "He stumbled, not able to string together a coherent sentence," How did you find out?"

It took a second for the implications of his statement to sink over them.

The look on his little girl's face… of betrayal, of heartbreak, distress, devastation, and anguish all rolled up into one," Wait." She said slowly, on the cusp of a terrifying realization," You- you knew that I was- "

Gildarts swallowed and slowly nodded.

Cana's expression crumbled further, tears visibly building in her eyes, as she bolted away from him. All this time- all this time he knew who she was and never said anything. Had ignored her- had pushed her to the side-

She had to get away from here.

She would not break down where he could see.

oOOOOo

She'd known.

She'd known who he was for who knew how long and had never said anything.

All this time he'd been trying to talk to her- and she'd already known.

Why hadn't she said anything? Did she think he wouldn't be a good dad?

He had to find her first.

Watching as she ran away from him… it was the most heartbreaking thing he had ever witnessed. More than anything… it was like watching history repeat itself. It was like he was seeing Conny walk away from him all over again…

He was a fucking coward, but he would be damned if he would make the same mistake twice.

When he finally found her, it was almost nightfall. The setting sun painting the sky above the woods in brilliant colors.

She was curled up at the base of a tree sobbing her heart out.

He did that…

Gildarts carefully cleared his throat, watching as the small sound made Cana freeze as she slowly looked up, her eyes red and swollen.

She slowly climbed to her feet, not saying a word for several heartbeats, before she finally spoke up with a venom that surprised the both of them.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She snarled.

He faltered," I just- I wanted to make sure- "

"Make sure what? That your little disappointment knows to keep her mouth shut?" She growled, baring her teeth like a rabid dog as all the hurt and pain this man had caused her came bubbling to the surface," Don't worry- I'd hate to ruin your reputation. Ace of Fairy Tail fathers a pathetic little girl who's bottom of the barrel as far as magic goes."

He started, looking at her in surprise," Wait- that's not- "

Cana let out a high mocking laugh," Tell me something- did you know at first sight or did it take a while?" Furiously biting back the angry tears," Am I really so pathetic that you didn't even want your little mistake to know? Were you afraid that I'd go blabbing to everyone- "She was cut off when Gildarts tried to pull her into his arms.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" The brunette shrieked, shoving him away from her," I don't want you to touch me."

The Ace stared at his utterly broken daughter and numbly started to explain himself," I didn't know then." He said quietly, watching as she visibly evaluated him and let out a half snort.

"Fuck- how can I even believe a single word that comes out of your mouth?" She asked scathingly, the angry tears sliding down her face.

He swallowed," I didn't find out until you mentioned your grandfather's name." Noticing that he actually had her attention, he kept talking," I met him when I was still dating your mother, Cornelia. She and I… actually we used to be married." He looked at the genuinely surprised look on her face," I take it that you didn't know that?"

Cana numbly shook her head.

"Things obviously didn't work out between us." He said giving her a small self-deprecating smile," I swear I never knew about you. I really did find out when you told me who your grandfather was, I just… well Conny was an only child. As soon as I knew the truth, I tried to tell you, but… I just couldn't get the words out. I kept on trying to spend as much time with you as I could, because maybe if I knew you a bit better I'd be able to say it."

He took a deep breath and slowly approached her and this time she let him pull her into his arms.

As soon as he had her comfortably in his hold, her head resting over his heart, he started again," Cana… you are the greatest child a man could ever hope for. You're strong, you're smart, you're talented, you are a blessing that was sent straight from heaven and I am so sad that I was never part of your life. I loved you as soon as I knew who you really were, but over the last few weeks… as I've gotten to know you, I've just fallen deeper and deeper in love with you. You're my little girl. And if its okay with you… if its okay with you I would like to be your dad."

For a few moments the only sound Gildarts could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat reverberating in his ears as he waited for Cana to respond.

"…I came to Fairy Tail because I was looking for you." She said quietly, feeling the way her father stiffened," As soon as I saw you I knew exactly who you were, but you didn't recognize me. I stuck around because I wanted my Daddy, but every time I tried to tell you things got in the way. I felt a little bit of my soul die every time I saw you be a father to everyone except me; eventually I decided that if I ever made S-Class I would tell you the truth… and obviously that's just a pipe dream at this point." She said bitterly, pushing herself out of her father's hold and taking a look at the horrified look on his face.

"I don't need a father anymore." She said firmly," The part of me that needed you died a long time ago. But… I am open to building a relationship with you."

Gildarts stared at his daughter in shock and horror as she recounted just how badly he'd hurt her and felt his own tears begin to fall.

"Cana!" He yelped as he pulled his baby back into his arms, hugging her with a desperation that surprised even him." I'm sorry- I'm so sorry! I promise to never make you sad ever again!" He swore, hugging her tighter," I promise to be the most loving father anyone's ever seen! Please give me the right to love you!"

The brunette responded calmly leaning her head into her father's chest," You've always had that right."

The waterworks started up again. Father and daughter clinging to each other like the other was a lifeline.

"Hey Sweetie?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"I love you so much angel. Please don't ever forget that."

"I love you too Dad."

Nothing else needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been wanting to do an angsty reveal since the beginning, but I just couldn't figure out how to do it until this little beauty. This whole chapter went from 'I have a plan' to 'where is this going' to 'wait how did this turn out this good'?! At least I think it turned out good at any rate.
> 
> FMAB is the only anime that my family can agree on, so with everybody stuck at home we have gone through the whole thing about eight times now.
> 
> Cana being a mechanic comes from a brilliant fic called 'Heartbreak Grows in the Garden' and if you haven't read it you really should. It's very heavy, but at the same time captures the true heart of Cana as a person trying to keep her head above water. Midnight Rose 365- this is probably worlds away from what you originally had in mind, and its worlds away from what I had in mind too. That said I hope you liked it.
> 
> One more thing- my creative energy has been running dry the last few weeks, so if anybody has anything to put forward it would be most appreciated.


	59. First Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Clive family's first Christmas as a trio!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cana is roughly two and half to three months old. I just thought it was sweeter with her being younger. I tried to stuff in as much family fluff as I could!

"Gildarts this is absolutely ridiculous." Cornelia pointed out from where she was putting ornaments on the tree. "I get wanting to get presents that she'll use but this is insane- "

"No its not." Gildarts interrupted, childishly sticking his tongue out at his wife," Cana is reaching a crucial stage in her development and it is our responsibility to get her toys that will both enrich her education and development and be safe! I don't want our little girl having anything but the best!"

"I don't disagree." The brunette said coming over to give her husband a peck," I'm just saying you're going a little overboard."

Actually, it would be more accurate to say he had gone _completely_ overboard and was now treading water in the seas of 'You have GOT to be kidding me.'

Not that Gildarts was even aware of this.

"But Conny-!" He protested, pulling one of the charts closer to her," Look- the top selling children's toy this year for babies three months and under is the 'Jingle Kitten Rattle'." He said pointing to a picture of a brightly colored rattle that apparently meowed every time it was shaken." But you see here-" He pointed to a different chart," This toy had to be redesigned _twice_ due to choking hazards- even if we assume its safe now, not that I plan on taking any chances, Dr. Navin said that at her age we should focus more on developing her motor skills and helping her learn to roll over- this toy is _useless_ for that!" He said indignantly, as he stared at it in barely veiled disgust.

The brunette just stared blankly between her husband and the dozen or so catalogues and charts he had laid out on the kitchen table," Okay- you know what? You're done." She said definitively and manhandled him out of chair and shoved him towards the Christmas tree," You can do that later- for now you're helping me decorate."

"But Conny-!"

"No buts." She said firmly," I want her safe just as much as you do, but all that's going to do is drive you crazy- well," She amended," Crazy-er."

The red head pouted and sweat his wife up into his arms," I resent that last." He said pecking her on the nose. "I am perfectly sane."

"I'm sure." She said playfully, giving him a kiss back," Now let's hurry up- I want to have everything done before we head to see Master- "

"I think you mean _Santa_ darling." Gildarts corrected lightly with a goofy grin.

Cornelia stifled a laugh and nodded," Santa." She agreed.

It was a tradition in Magnolia that Master Makarov be the one to dress up as Santa to entertain the children- not that the old man minded. On the contrary- he took it more seriously than any complaints from the council. He always made sure everything had the perfect holiday magic for the little ones and came down very, very hard on anyone that tried to cause trouble.

The old man had been dropping hints for weeks about how he couldn't wait to see his new granddaughter sit on 'Santas' lap.

Subtle he was not.

"Seriously, though." The father said quietly while they finished the tree," Conny… this is our first Christmas with Cana and after everything that happened… I just want everything to be perfect."

She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around her husband," Gildarts- you don't have to go overboard. As long as we're all together- we could be celebrating in a ditch and it would still be perfect." She said gently," I love you so much Gildarts."

"And I love you too Conny."

The moment was broken by a loud cry from the fussy infant.

The brunette laughed once the spell of the moment was broken," Feeding time- you keep going, I'll feed her and then I'll get her dressed. We can leave after that. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect!" He agreed with that goofy grin she loved.

As soon as she was out of sight though, Gildarts was immediately back at the table: cross referencing the list of the season's most popular toys with recall notices, the list from Cana's pediatrician, and the graphs he'd thrown together that properly ranked everything in a way that was easy to understand.

He could probably get through a few more toys before he'd have to stop and do the ornaments. At which time his wife would bring down their beautiful baby girl who would be wearing her pretty little holiday dress! She was going to look so cute!

Conny was right- as long as they were all together, every moment was the perfect moment, but that didn't mean he couldn't do his best to throw in some holiday magic. This was their first Christmas as a family- they had to do something to make it memorable!

oOOOOo

"MY GRANDBABY DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Makarov wailed as the parents of afore-mentioned little girl tried not to laugh as they soothed the baby.

Everything had been going great- after years of this tradition Magnolia had developed a seamless system for the children and their parents. Everybody took a number when they arrived so no one had to wait on long lines that would inevitably result in some kind of tantrum.

So, Cornelia and Gildarts arrived at the park, took a number, and settled down in the section of the play area reserved for babies under one. Laxus had come over to greet them before quickly running off to keep playing with the other children while the parents settled down.

Then when their number finally got called, they brought the baby over and handed her off to her disguised grandfather.

And Cana lost it.

The second her mother put her into this strange person's arms she started screaming bloody murder. Which was heartbreaking for her poor grandfather, who was distressed at being the reason his granddaughter was unhappy and had done all he could to calm her down before admitting defeat.

Cana had settled down as soon as she was back in her mother's arms, albeit with the occasional sniffle and poor Makarov had been inconsolable ever since.

Both parents felt bad about it, but it was kind of hilarious.

"Grandpa?" A heartbroken voice asked, causing everyone to look over to where a devastated little Laxus was standing," But… what about Santa?" He asked with tears in his eyes.

Shit.

Immediately the little boy had his grandfather by his side.

"Don't cry Laxus!" He said hurriedly," You see he wanted to be here but there are so many children in the world- so he has to ask people to stand in for him from time to time. He got called away to deal with a problem at the last minute and he didn't want to let anyone down, so he asked me to help out!"

Laxus looked hopefully at the old man," Really?"

"Really." The guildmaster said sincerely," Now- if you tell me what you want I'll make sure to let him know and I'll make sure you get extra hot chocolate, that sound good?"

The little boy looked at him suspicious," With extra marshmallows?"

"And extra whipped cream."

A firm nod," Okay."

Crisis averted.

Cornelia breathed a sigh of relief and looked over to where her husband was snickering at something," What's so funny?"

He held up the photo that had been snapped while Cana had been on Makarov's lap," I think this one is a keeper."

She took a look and almost burst out laughing, it almost looked like she was trying to jump out the old man's arms. Actually, it looked astonishingly like the cover of a bad romance novel- with Makrov as the clingy ex-girlfriend who refused to let go.

"You know- I think we should make this our Christmas card this year." She said lip quivering before she finally gave up and both of them started howling.

They weren't forgetting this one anytime soon!

oOOOOo

Gildarts wasn't pouting.

Really- he wasn't!

So what if Cana wasn't interested in any of the toys he'd gotten her- it wasn't like it was personal or anything. If she was having fun playing with the wrapping paper, then that was what she would play with.

Of course, it was more than a little frustrating- when surrounding with new stuffed animals, a water play mat that encouraged her to move her arms, a rattle that passed all required checks, a few dolls for when she was a bit bigger, and a new mobile that projected images of stars all over her walls- and all she wanted was the torn wrapping paper.

He totally wasn't hurt by this dismissal of his efforts to get her the perfect gifts.

Behind him he heard his wife stifle a laugh as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Honestly we both should have seen this coming." Cornelia pointed out in amusement at her pouting husband. "Will you stop being upset?"

The Ace glared reproachfully at the discarded wrapping paper that his daughter was so enamored with," I'm not upset." He protested," I'm merely… annoyed. That's all."

The brunette laughed and stood up on her toes to give him a proper kiss, after which she consoled him," I'm sorry it didn't go like we planned, but I'm so proud of you for going to all that effort to get her the perfect gifts."

His ego was mended at the compliment. "Really?" He asked hopefully.

Cornelia smiled," Really. Now, are you ever going to open your present?" She asked holding up the thick box wrapped in neat green paper and tied with a red velvet ribbon.

"I'd love to." He said honestly as they sat down on the small couch against the wall, each keeping one eye on the baby. Gildarts carefully pulled the ribbon to loosen it and then pondered on what he should do about the paper.

The brunette stifled a laugh at the lost puppy look on his face," Just rip it." She advised, watching as his face lit up as he gleefully tore apart the paper and pulled the lid off the box to reveal an unmarked, leather-bound book inside.

Gildarts looked up at his wife in puzzlement.

She smiled gently," Open it."

And when he did, it only took him a second to realize what he was looking at.

"Conny…" He breathed in shock as he flipped through the pages.

Love letters.

Every page the book contained was one of the love letters he had written to her over the years. Every last one: from the first one he had ever sent to the last one the day before they'd gotten married.

"You kept- "

"Of course I did." She said with a loving smile and tears in her eyes. "They were from the man I loved after all."

Gildarts just stared at her in awe before he sniffled trying to stem the happy tears," Well, I think you may just have outdone me." He said with a choked laugh as he reached for the white-wrapped box he had prepared for her.

The brunette laughed as she ripped the paper off with an enthusiasm that mirrored his own and opened the box to reveal an oval-shaped golden locket.

"Open it." He advised, mimicking her from a second ago.

She did so and as soon as it was open, a miniature lacrima projected a photo up into the air. Cornelia felt her heart melt as she recognized the first picture that had been taken of all three of them the day Cana had been born.

"I have a matching one." He quietly informed her," They're also communication lacrimas- so no matter how far apart we are, we'll always be right there with each other.

"Gildarts…" She said in a choked-up voice as she was overwhelmed with emotion," How did I get so lucky?"

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead," I think a better question is how did _I_ get so lucky?" He corrected," I must have done something good in order to have you two in my life."

Before she could say anything, their attention was turned by a small, gurgling coo from the baby on the floor. Cana was smiling up at her parents from where she laid on her back and reached her arms out towards them.

"I understand Little Miss." Gildarts said playfully as he scooped up the baby. "Wrapping paper is nice and all, but you want to be with Mommy and Daddy."

Cornelia smiled and laid her head onto his shoulder, fitting perfectly into the crook of his neck.

"Merry Christmas Gildarts."

"Merry Christmas Conny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight! Yeah, I feel like I would be letting everyone down if I didn't say it at least once. I thought about doing a New Years one, but with the year we've had I feel like it would be better to just go with my original plan of hide and pray the planet doesn't explode.
> 
> That said: happy holidays everybody!


	60. Stowaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts is going back to work for the first time since bringing Cana home... unfortunately it becomes a lesson to check his baggage for stowaways before he leaves!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the long awaited alternate to 'Babysitting Guidelines', I have no idea why it took me as long as it did to write this.

"Please don't go Daddy!" The little girl sobbed, clinging onto her father for dear life.

Gildarts Clive was known for his strength, both physically and magically. He held the title of the Strongest Mage in Fiore and he had earned it. He could conquer monsters larger than mountains, bend steel with his bare hands, and bring his enemies to their knees.

However, when it came to his daughter's tears all that strength went out the window.

"Its okay- its okay sweetheart!" He babbled, trying to comfort his distressed little girl.

His little Cana was the light of his life. His angel, his princess, his tiny little darling, but as much as he might wish, taking care of her wasn't his sole responsibility.

There was a small island called Terasaka that was being terrorized by a dark guild. It was a job that no one less than an S-Class mage could handle, and he was currently the only S-Class mage Fairy tail had available. Unfortunately his hero complex wouldn't allow him to sit back and wait for a different guild to handle it, which left him in the horrible position of having to tell his sweet angel that she would be staying with Master while her Daddy was off chasing bad guys.

She wasn't taking it well.

"Cana- sweetie why are you so upset angel?" He asked in desperation," You don't have to worry- you'll only be with Master for a few days- "

"I don't want you to go Daddy." The six-year-old sniffled pathetically," Everybody says your missions are scary and you could get hurt- I don't want you to go a scary place and get hurt Daddy!"

Gildarts felt his heart break as he stared into his little girl's big, tearful eyes.

"Don't worry." He said, as he gently rubbed her back," It would take more then they've got to hurt me. But Cana- there are lots of people that they are hurting. These people are scared and need me to go save them- you see that's what Daddy's job is. I go to scary places to help people who need me- I'm a professional hero, you understand?"

The little girl's lip quivered but she nodded.

"Now, I'm probably going to be gone before you wake up tomorrow- but Master will be here to make you breakfast. And if you miss me too much, I have a communication lacrima on me at all times- if you call me, I will answer."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He said sincerely, happy that she seemed to have calmed down. "Now- it's time for bed Princess." He said gently as he scooped her up and tucked her in.

The Ace gently kissed her head, and was about to turn out the light, when she stopped him.

"Daddy," She said, easily getting his attention.

"Yes sweetheart?"

Cana held out her beloved teddy bear," Take him with you."

"Baby…" He said in surprise," I can't- "

"Roo keeps me safe." She said tearfully," If you take him then he'll keep you safe too."

Gildarts felt tears build in his eyes at the gesture," Baby- Roo is yours. He's meant to protect you from nightmares and monsters- I can't take him away from you."

"Please." She begged," Please take him Daddy! Roo is a good bear- he'll keep you safe! I'll be fine, but you need him Daddy!"

His heart melted," Alright." He conceded, accepting the plush and giving his little girl another kiss," Thank you sweetheart- I'm sure he'll be a big help. Now its time for you to go to bed."

"Goodnight Daddy."

"Goodnight Sweetheart."

oOOOOo

Gildarts sighed as the boat gave another unsteady rock.

It was a misty, gloomy morning to be heading out on a job, but he didn't have any other choice.

He'd left before his sweet little girl had woken up; the bear carefully tucked into his bag for safekeeping. He'd thought about leaving it behind, but ultimately, he couldn't ignore his little girl's wish for it to keep him safe. If him having the bear made her feel better, then he was going to bring the bear.

By his calculations the boat should reach Terasaka by the next day, and with the time difference his little darling should be eating breakfast right now.

A loud ring caught him off guard- one of the communication lacrima's was going off.

Guess his baby missed him already!

He answered the call and instead of the sweet face of his little angel, he was met with Master's panicked one.

"Gildarts she's gone!"

"…what?" The crash mage asked, desperately hoping that he had misheard him.

"I went to her room to check on her and she wasn't there!"

It took a second for it to sink in.

"WHAT?!" He yelled in terror, accidentally sending his bag crashing to the floor- where it let out a very familiar yelp.

Blinking, Gildarts stared at the canvas bag.

_She didn't-!_

Ignoring Master's panicked rambling, he forced open the canvas, only to be met with a very familiar, very guilty face.

"…Hi Daddy?" His angel said sheepishly, not sure what she was supposed to say in the face of her very shocked father.

"-ildarts! Gildarts what is going on?!"

In his state of shock, the redhead answered the frantic old man," Don't worry Master- I found her."

" _What?!_ "

The crash mage numbly handed over the lacrima to his little girl.

They were out of sight of land, the job needed to be taken care of ASAP, and now he had a six-year-old stowaway.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

oOOOOo

Cana squirmed under her father's gaze.

"Cana- care to tell me why you decided to come along?" Gildarts calmly asked his child- somewhere between terrified and livid.

The little girl fumbled with her hands before she finally answered," Daddy's gonna save the day… I wanted to watch."

And didn't that stroke his ego despite the situation.

He shook his head and crouched down in front of her, gently tilting her head up so she could look at him.

"Cana- I don't even know what to say." He said in frustration," Do you have any idea how much you scared Master?"

She quietly shook her head.

"He called me in tears because he was so scared." Okay maybe a little dramatized but probably accurate," He didn't know where you were. He didn't know if you were safe or hurt or if someone had climbed through your window and snatched you away. And coming on this job… sweetheart this is so incredibly dangerous."

Her wide purple eyes started filling with tears as she began to sniffle.

"I'm sorry Daddy." She whimpered," Please don't be mad at me!"

He sighed and picked her up, gently rubbing her back," I'm not mad." He said calmly," But I am upset with you- my jobs are not safe for you Cana. There is real danger, and you could get seriously hurt and now Daddy is going to have to figure out how to protect the village and take care of you."

"I'll be good." She sniffled," I'll do what you tell me to- I promise Daddy!'

He sighed again," We'll make it work sweetie. But when we get home there are going to be some serious consequences for this."

"…okay." Cana mumbled glumly.

It was quiet for a moment, before a loud growl broke the silence.

Gildarts let out a laugh and gently poked his little girl's belly.

"Sounds like we need to get you some breakfast Princess. Can't have the lion in your tummy telling the bad guys where we are!"

"It wouldn't do that!" She protested," It's a nice lion!"

"Oh, right. My mistake." He said affectionately.

This happened. Now he just had to accept it and make it work.

oOOOOo

The village on Terasaka that had hired him was called Kayano. It was a small village with high barricaded walls and people taking turns as lookouts.

"Who goes there!"

The Ace pulled up his shirt to expose his emblem. "I'm Gildarts Clive from Fairy Tail! I was hired to deal with the dark guild!"

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!"

The gates were opened quickly and then he had multiple people rushing him in.

The town was arranged in a circle of small wooden huts and canvas tents.

The people looked exhausted, deep shadows under their eyes and thin like they hadn't properly eaten in a while.

"Thank you for coming." An old man said, gratitude shining in his eyes," My name is Suka and I am the chief of this village. I can't tell you how grateful…" The old man trailed off when a tiny head popped out from behind the wizard's shoulder.

The crash mage shook his head," You don't need to thank me." He said warmly," You needed help and I can never ignore someone who needs help."

"Um… thank you?" The chief said weakly, still staring at the child clinging to the man's back. The little girl was curiously looking around but staying quiet.

"Now- can you give me all the information you have on the guild?" Gildarts asked, pointedly ignoring the way everyone kept staring at Cana," I'm going to need everything you can tell me to take them all out."

"If-If you come this way, I have our scouts waiting in the main tent. Um- if you don't mind my asking… why do you have a child?"

The Ace shrugged, reaching back to pull his girl out of his bag to place her on his hip. "Haven't you ever heard of bring your daughter to work day?" He said nonchalantly," If its not too much trouble- would it be possible for someone to watch her while I deal with them? She'll be on her best behavior, won't you sweetheart?"

"Yes Daddy!" The little girl said cheerfully, flashing everyone a wide smile that revealed a missing tooth.

"Um- Masha!" The chief called, an old woman coming forward," Would you…?"

The old woman didn't even hesitate," Hello little one!" She said warmly as Gildarts finally let Cana down. "What's your name?"

"I'm Cana!"

"Cana- oh that's a lovely name. Would you like to come with me while your daddy deals with boring grown up things?"

The tiny brunette looked up at her father," Can I Daddy?"

He smiled," Of course sweetheart- be good."

"I will!" She said cheerfully and grabbed Masha's offered hand and happily let herself be led to a group of other children her own age.

Gildarts watched her go with fond eyes, before turning back to the chief," Lead the way."

"Um… of course." The old man said, unsure just what to think about this.

Perhaps bringing their children on jobs was normal for wizards?

Either way the Ace wouldn't answer and having his little girl with him only made him more determined to take care of everything as quickly as possible. She really was the best motivation for him- he'd do anything to protect that smile.


	61. The Dogs of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the fight with Phantom Cana is forced to pull out her trump card; Gildarts is confused as to how something tied to his wife's bloodline wound up in Cana's possession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence, mentioned death, little bit of blood, some MacaoxCana (only if you squint a bit- explained at the end), reference to 'Family Meeting'
> 
> I really, really hesitated in putting this one up. It was meant to be chapter fifteen but I chickened out and didn't post it. I hope you guys like it, all I will say is that I personally feel it isn't like anything I've done before.

They couldn't keep this up much longer. Cana knew this as she threw another card at the phantom soldiers. With both Master Makarov and Erza out of commission and the majority of the guild already injured from the earlier fight… there was no way they would be able to keep up this pace for much longer.

She bit back a swear as she chucked three more cards each successfully hitting their targets. All they could do was hope that the ones inside could take out the Element Four and Jose- but that was a big 'if'. The title of Wizard Saint was not given lightly- all who held the title were powerhouses that were almost without equal; and the Element Four did not hold their reputation for nothing. That wasn't even taking into account the number of powerhouses that Phantom could have brought out- they were far from a weak guild.

But… if she played her trump card then she could end this in a matter of minutes. She knew how to use it, her mother had made sure of that, but… there were reasons she had never used it before. Apart from not having the stomach to handle the aftermath… something that powerful should not be used lightly.

Then Mira, brave, beautiful, foolish Mira tried to buy some time and was grabbed by the Giant. Her family was in danger- it was now or never.

Cana yanked at the chain around her neck with enough force to snap the delicate links and brought the silver whistle to her lips.

The sound of it cut through the battle, bringing everything to a grinding halt. The air had stilled, and the people were filled with a sudden unexplained dread at the note. Then the earth trembled.

The force of the quaking ground knocked people off their feet as a great, wide chasm split apart in the solid stone. Twisted screams of utter agony filled the air, as _things_ tried to claw their way out of the chasm, reaching toward the daylight. The shrieks were quickly overpowered by the howls of hunting hounds, as the beasts burst past the wraiths and the ground sealed behind them.

They were ugly creatures, and despite their snarling and barking like feral dogs, they were anything but. Blood-matted fur, missing chunks exposing dull grey skin; their misshapen bodies looked as though someone had tried to combine the bodies of crocodiles with the loping legs of a horse, their tails split in two; rows of serrated teeth like a shark exposed by their drooling maws; manes that perhaps came from a lion ringed their necks; the paws of the beasts looked disturbingly human, tipped with long, wicked claws; but the eyes… ten eyes gleamed in each socket with a frightening intelligence. These were not stupid creatures, they were hunters.

No one hard the strength to move, staring in open mouthed horror at creatures that had escaped from the depths of their worst nightmares.

"TO ME!" Cana ordered, drawing the attention of the creatures, who flocked to her side like obedient puppies. The trick to keeping their loyalty was to command them, she couldn't show weakness, she couldn't display her own fear and revulsion at the sight of them. They were hers to control, she and she alone had the power to make them obey, though she might have to remind them of this fact.

"Your targets are any members of the Element Four still conscious and Jose, Master of the Phantom Lord guild- you hunt them and them alone, if any of you break command you answer to me." She said firmly, taking note of the subtle nods given by all twelve heads- they understood the rules, now it was time to unleash them. "Sic 'em boys."

As soon as the last syllable left her mouth they all howled in harmony and ran towards the Giant faster than the human eye could follow.

Cana sat back satisfied- the battle was as good as won. She pretended not to feel the terrified gazes of her adoptive family on her back. It had to be done, but no one would ever look at her the same way again.

oOOOOo

In the aftermath of the battle no one had been sure what to do. They had won… but not in a way anyone felt proud of.

Master Makarov had arrived just in time to see Cana's pack return- the mangled corpses of Aria and José hanging from their jaws, presenting them at the card mage's feet.

Rather than respond stone faced or disgusted, she responded with praise. Cooing at them like puppies who had successfully brought back the stick for the first time. They melted under her praise, accepting scratches and pets from their Mistress- happy that they had been able to please her so well.

Thankfully the display didn't last very long before Cana dismissed them, the creatures crawling back into the ground from which they had come, leaving only a scar along the earth as a sign that they had ever been there.

oOOOOo

"I inherited the whistle from my mother," Cana explained to the gathered guild, "Its been passed down along the female line of my family for generations. This was the first time I ever used it." And when she was alone she would break down and vomit over it- even though she had done it for the guild, she had still killed two people and lost the trust of her family, and she had no idea how she was going to deal with this.

"What- what were those things?" Someone asked shakily.

"Hellhounds. They are the beasts that drag sinners to Hell and keep them from escaping." She answered levelly, taking care to keep her face expressionless; while she had been raised with this knowledge and desensitized to the truth, the others would not be as calm.

And they certainly weren't. They yelled, accused and questioned her. Everyone was trying to make their point heard above everyone else. Though she was outwardly composed, internally she was falling apart. This was it, her family was going to make her leave, they wouldn't want her around anymore after this.

"ENOUGH!" Makarov roared, making everyone fall silent," Cana… why didn't you ever tell us about this?" If she had used those… _things_ during the trials she would have become S-class easily.

"Because I've never had to use them before." The card mage answered." The dogs… I have never been desperate enough to use them before and this isn't the kind of thing you would throw at your guildmates- even if I ordered them not to kill they would still maim anyone I set them on. This kind of power… using it recklessly is just not something I would be able to live with."

That… actually that was pretty reasonable. To hurt your guildmates was taboo and if she had never had to use those things before then it made sense that she had never thought to tell anyone about it before (though it was debatable if anyone would have believed her even if she had). Slowly everyone filed off to process the day, until only Macao and Cana remained in place.

The brunette was conflicted- was there anything left for her here or had she broken everyone's trust beyond repair? After today, now that everyone knew what she was capable of- would anyone still want her around?

As the dark-haired man cleared his throat Cana turned to face him. Macao... lately their relationship had been changing, progressing in a way neither had expected it to go as Macao had stopped seeing her as a child.

"I-I can't say that those things weren't terrifying, but… thank you for using them. I don't want to think about what could have happened if you hadn't." The fire mage said quietly; if he knew Cana half as well as he thought he did, then she was probably talking herself into leaving the guild, thinking that they didn't want her anymore.

Cana blinked in surprise, looking at him with her insecurities splayed across her face," I- thank you."

The two sat in silence for a while, comfortable in each other's company.

Maybe… maybe everything would be okay.

oOOOOo

Everyone was having a blast as the party went in full swing- Lisanna was alive, Gildarts was back, and they now had an awesome story to tell involving alternate dimensions and flying cats. How much better could this get!

The crash mage smiled as he took everything in- right now he was being caught up on everything that had happened the last few years only half listening. He may have lost his arm and leg, but it was nice to know some things hadn't changed- Fairy Tail was still the same wild guild it had always been.

Right now, Wakaba had reached an attack by Phantom Lord (bastards!)"- at first it seemed like we were screwed, but then Cana called her dogs and let me tell you- "

"Dogs?" The crash mage asked in confusion.

The smoker blinked," Oh yeah- well Cana has this whistle that she blew during the fight it…" the man swallowed going pale at the memory," The whistle called these things- hellhounds."

At the word 'hellhounds' Gildarts choked on his drink, coughing harshly as he tried to avoid hacking up a lung. A concerned Wakaba pounded him on the back.

"Hellhounds?" The Ace asked incredulously- Cornelia had been the only one who-

"Yeah I know its hard to believe," Wakaba said sympathetically, believing that to be the reason for his surprise." But that's what she said they were, and that the whistle had been passed down for generations- "

Gildarts had stopped listening- he knew the whistle, he knew what it did, had seen it in action before. It was the only one of its kind in existence that Conny had known of, passed down through the female members of the bloodline mother to daughter for generations.

Conny was dead. As horrible as that thought was it was the truth. The love of his life had been dead for years… so how did Cana get the whistle? As far as he knew the only remaining family Conny had was her brother and he seriously doubted Julian had any children.

Ignoring Wakaba's confused exclamation, Gildarts walked across the hall to where the card mage was sitting with Gray, affectionately ribbing each other as he taunted her with information about her double in Edolas.

"Hey Cana- do you think we can talk for a second?" The Ace asked casually, getting a pair of confused looks in return. He and Cana had never really interacted before, so their reactions were understandable.

"Uh… I guess," the brunette said uncertainly, leaving her beer on the table as she accompanied the older man outside the guild where the noise wouldn't distract them.

"Where did you get the whistle?" He asked sharply as soon as the two were out, inwardly he winced, it sounded like he was accusing her of stealing it.

Cana was obviously taken aback," What?"

"Wakaba told me about what happened during the Phantom Lord fight, I just wanted to know how you had gotten your hands on the Stygian Whistle."

If Cana had been confused before now she was flabbergasted- how did he know what it was called? "I inherited it from my mother after she died- how do you know about it? I never told anyone what it was called."

Gildarts froze for a moment- had she just-?

"It used to belong to my wife- Cornelia."

Suddenly the pieces clicked into place, Cana had two options, she could play dumb or she could finally tell him the truth.

"I didn't know you two were married." She said dumbly," I mean, obviously I knew there was a relationship since I'm standing here but- married?"

And suddenly Gildarts realized exactly what the brunette had just said, " 'Since you're standing here'?" No way, she couldn't mean what he thought she meant.

"Cornelia was my mother, before she died she told me who my father was and I joined fairy Tail to find him. To find you Gildarts." There it was, she had finally done it. She had finally said the impossible words, now time for her father to react. And she waited, and waited, and waited, until she finally opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) to see her father frozen in a state of utter shock. Did she break him?!

"Gildarts? Gildarts are you okay?!" She asked in mild alarm, while this wasn't the worst reaction she had imagined over the years, it certainly wasn't the best-case scenario.

He seemed to snap back a little bit," You're my daughter?" He asked in disbelief, making Cana flinch.

"Yeah, I guess its hard to believe." She said quietly; if one of the others had been his kid that probably would have been easier to understand, they were strong and she was not- she was just an alcoholic who had failed the S-class trials four times.

As tears started to come to her eyes, she stubbornly tried to blink them away, she couldn't cry over this not in front of him. As she turned to run a hand caught her wrist and suddenly, she had been pulled into one of the best bear hugs she had ever received. This… this was all she had ever wanted. To be held by her father, she felt… safe.

"I always wanted a little girl." He whispered into her hair," Conny and I- we talked about kids for a while, how many we wanted, names, and all the details… she never told me about you I swear."

"I know she didn't." Cana said back," I don't know what happened between you, it's your business, but for better or worse… I'm glad I met you. "

Gildarts held her tighter as tears came to his eyes, this was his baby. All these years he had a daughter right in front of him and he had no idea. How much had he hurt her, making her see her father ignore her in favor of the other children? How did he begin to make up for all these years?

"Cana- please let me be your dad. I- after all these years I don't know if I have the right but, please let me love you!"

"That's all I've ever wanted Dad."

And the dam broke. Both father and daughter clinging to each other as they cried, making their own resolutions to be there for the other. This wasn't going to be easy, one had twelve years of baggage and the other was a blank slate, but… somehow, they got a feeling that everything was going to work. They would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, this one came out of left field. It's actually a concept that I've been playing with for a while now- I don't mean a few weeks, I mean a few years. Trying to fit it to various series until this was finally born. Yes there was a bit of MacaoxCana, but I can't watch the Phantom Lord arc without seeing it, the chemistry between them during the fight is always what sells it to me, even if its about the only time I ever really ship it. Its okay if you don't like the pairing, I'm the kind of person who ships my favorite characters in almost any pairing (almost); I can see her with Bacchus, Laxus, Macao, Hibiki, Juvia, Lucy, or Mirajane- the only person who I can't see her with is Gray, but that's because of the sibling bond. That said- there is never going to be a true Cana ship in any of these, that would take away from the pure family fluff of my stories and honestly its more trouble then its worth. Please tell me what you think!
> 
> Also for anyone wondering details about the whistle itself- I wondering a lot of that too. The whistle is definitely not going to make an appearance in any other story. 'Stygian' was a reference to Percy Jackson if anyone was wondering, it just seemed appropriate.


	62. DNA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a comparatively high-profile person with a reputation for being a womanizer, it should come as no surprise that Gildarts frequently had to deal with previous flings coming forward to claim that he was the father of their children. Unfortunately, this makes Cana doubt her mother's story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a lot of liberties here. There's also a lot of Gildarts and everyone jumping to conclusions and making assumptions.

"I can't believe that chick hasn't quit yet!" Wakaba said loudly as the group laughed along with him.

"I know, right?" Macao agreed, taking a swig from his mug," You'd think three failed paternity tests would be enough to convince her- but no, we must have rigged the tests!"

Nab took a swallow from his own beer," Can't blame her for trying, I guess. But I'm glad for Gildarts- imagine having to put up with sharing a kid with a woman like that!"

"So true!"

A head of spiky pink hair popped up next to them, his face scrunched up in confusion," What's a paternity test and why'd Gildarts take one?" He asked curiously.

The elder fire wizard let out a belch and clapped Natsu on the shoulder," You see Natsu, you know how Gildarts is really powerful?"

The boy slowly nodded," Uh-huh."

"You see that power equals status- so a lot of his ex-girlfriends and flings see it as their opportunity to cash in on it by claiming that Gildarts is the father of their kids." He explained," Because if they can prove it then he has to pay them a lot of money to provide for the kid, but thing is they have to prove it first. A paternity test is when they compare the kid's DNA to Gildarts to see if they're related."

Wakaba cut in with a loud laugh," And not a single test has ever come back positive! Making Gildarts either the luckiest bastard on the planet or infertile!"

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes at his friend and shrugged," Not the way I would have put it, but accurate." He said mildly." The guild deals with at least nine or ten paternity cases per year and none of them have ever turned out to be his kids. This most recent one has had three tests and still claims that Gildarts is her kid's father."

The dragon slayer looked even more confused," But if they all say he's not the dad then why does she keep saying he is?"

All the men shared a look and shrugged.

"Got me." Nab admitted.

Natsu shook his head and wandered off to go start a fight with Gray, while the adults continued their conversation.

"Seriously though," Wakaba said," These women sleep with him once and assume the kid has to be his even if it's born two years later. You'd think at least one of them would have turned out to be legit."

Macao shrugged," Honestly I think you called it earlier- he probably can't have kids at all."

"Eh, wish some of these women would figure that out though," The procrastinator griped," That psycho chick chucked a mug at my head."

As the three moved on to another topic, no one noticed Cana quietly slip out of the guildhall.

oOOOOo

Cana wasn't sure what to think.

She'd known about the paternity cases over the years, but she'd never really thought about them before. She'd always just be happy in the knowledge that while these kids were proven wrong, she was definitely her father's daughter.

But… what if she wasn't?

What if her mother had been wrong about him? What if she'd been like the other women, just assuming her child was his?

What if her faith in her mother had been faulty all these years?

Of course, it was totally possible her mother hadn't lied. Maybe she'd told Cana what she believed to be the truth, that would make a lot of sense. Her mother wouldn't lie to her, and if she'd been like all those other women, she would have told Gildarts about her a long time ago.

It was entirely possible that her mother had just been mistaken.

But… what did that mean for her?

Cana was many things- stupid wasn't one of them.

A lot of things would add up if she wasn't actually Gildarts' child.

He was a hero. The strongest wizard alive. He was powerful, confident, respected, and she was Cana. She wasn't special or powerful or particularly good at magic, if she really was his kid then wouldn't she be stronger?

The child part of her was telling her that their mother wouldn't lie- if she'd said that she was her father's child then she was. End of story. But the grown-up part of her…

If over a hundred tests came back negative, then how could she possibly be the exception?

Surely one of the other ones would have come back as positive- right? Unless Macao and Wakaba were right and Gildarts really couldn't have children.

She had to know.

She had to know if her whole life was a lie.

oOOOOo

Cana was so lucky that those home DNA kits were so popular- because otherwise this would have been much more expensive than just cleaning out her piggy bank money.

A company called the Lineage Factor had released the tests early last year, where for a small fee you could send in a sample of your saliva and they would give all this information about yourself that you didn't know before. Like what kind of magic you have an aptitude for or a breakdown of any medical issues you might be at risk for. And they could also help a person map out their family tree; the more family members who also took the tests the more detailed it would be.

Blue Pegasus had all done the tests as a bonding activity and two members found out that they were related. Sorcerer Weekly had done a whole spread about it- it was the main topic of conversation for weeks.

If this test could tell you that you were distant cousins, then paternity should be a snap.

All she'd need was a sample of her fath- _of Gildarts'_ DNA.

Easier said than done.

This was the first time he had been back in almost a year- she couldn't afford to miss this chance.

Which lead to her hiding under a table, desperately trying to avoid giving her presence away. And also trying to avoid being kicked- because that wouldn't be pleasant either.

"Seriously Gildarts you need to get better taste in women!"

And of course- all anyone could talk about was the most recent paternity case- because the universe obviously wanted her to suffer.

The Ace let out a loud laugh," Well when I'm with them I can't say their personalities are what I'm concerned about."

There was a roaring laugh as the drunkards all cheered to the crash mage's womanizing ways and Cana tried not to let it get to her.

Was that all her mother had been? Just a way to pass time? Did he even remember her at all?

Stay focused Cana. Get the spit first- you can deal with your issues later.

The main doors burst open.

"HEY EVERYBODY- NATSU CHALLENGED ERZA TO A FIGHT!"

There was a stampede toward the door as everyone wanted to watch Erza pound Natsu into the ground.

This was her chance!

The brunette carefully peeked out to see that the entire hall was completely deserted and lunged for the mug her father had been using. She was so lucky that he hadn't wanted beer today- because being the only person to drink scotch instead of beer just made her job easier.

Cana carefully swabbed the rim of the glass with the applicator.

This had to be enough DNA. She couldn't doubt herself for a second- it would be enough. It had to be.

She stuck the swab into the preservation fluid and booked it out of there as quickly as she could.

Twenty minutes later and she was slipping the kits into a mailbox. She'd done everything she could- fake name and listing her return address to a post- office box she'd rented.

In two weeks she would find out if her whole life was a lie or if she was the exception to the rule.

oOOOOo

Just another boring day in the life of a lab tech.

Jayden Grange let out a sigh as he continued to sequence yet another saliva sample.

Go into genetics, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

"Hey Jayden!" Eliza called from across the lab," Think you could take over station two for me? It's just two home tests!"

"And why can't you do it yourself?" He yelled back.

"Because I'm the one who's going to grab you a donut if you do!"

The blue-haired lab tech stilled.

Don't do it. Think of your diet. Don't think about delicious, flakey, sugary goodness-

Fuck.

"Fine. Just this once." He said as he scurried over to Eliza's station, the blonde girl giving him a knowing smirk as she walked away.

Besides: it was just a breakdown for a home test. Those took like twenty minutes tops with the new lacrima scanning equipment, all he really had to do was record the results and send them into the archive.

He kicked his feet up onto the desk and started going through the printouts the crystal was spitting out. Okay- this sample was from a female with open risk for Tuan's Disease- fuck.

There were times he hated his job. Having write up a report telling someone they had a genetic disease that would probably kill them was definitely one of them. Oh well, maybe they would take this and get early treatment, for all he knew he could be saving this chick's-

The crystal let out a telling beep that made him blink.

The lacrima would only make a sound like that if one set of DNA had already been analyzed on this station before.

Curious, he checked the display on the monitor attached to the lacrima and his jaw dropped.

Why the fuck was Miss Tuan's Disease being compared to the most notorious horn dog in the lab's history?

Better question: why was this reading coming out as a positive paternity match?!

oOOOOo

Makarov Dreyar had been having a lovely day.

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the little hell beasts he called his children were behaving, and he had finished all of his paperwork early.

It didn't get much better then this.

Then the communication lacrima on his desk rang.

He blinked but answered," You've reached Makarov Dreyar- Master of the Fairy Tail guild, can I help you?"

"Um- uh hello Master." A face he recognized as the head of the lab that ran all of Gildarts' paternity cases looked at him in mild panic.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a raised brow.

The mousy-faced man stammered," It's, uh- I don't quite know- "

"Spit it out man." The old man said impatiently, which finally prompted the other man to get to the point.

"Um, Master officially I'm not supposed to be doing this but, uh we also do testing for those home DNA companies and uh… well one of the kits that just came in… Master we just had a positive paternity match for Gildarts Clive."

The miniature man's jaw fell open.

The scientist looked at the stunned man in understanding," I know, that's about how we all reacted."

Makarov snapped out of it," Are you absolutely certain?"

"We tested and re-tested the samples on every single terminal we had available: every single test said the exact same thing. Mr. Clive is father, there is absolutely no question."

The miniscule guildmaster was still reeling but held up a hand," Its- he's in the hall just let me-" He bolted out of his office and jumped up onto the railing of the second floor. "GILDARTS GET UP HERE!"

" _Somebody's in trouble!"_

Oh, how the old man wished that had come from one of his younger children opposed to one that was about to turn thirty.

The redhead was up the stairs with his hands raised in surrender," I swear I didn't do it Master." He said with an easy smile.

"That's not- just get in here!" The Ace must have noticed just how spooked he was, and the man instantly sobered up and let himself be led into the office.

"Master what's- "

Makarov cut him off," Tell him what you just told me." He ordered the lab tech who looked even more spooked now that he was faced with the man himself.

"Um- Mister Clive my name is Andrew Daniels and I'm the head of the lab that runs your tests- it uh," The man gave a weak smile," Congratulations?"

Gildarts blinked," What?" He asked in confusion.

Daniels swallowed nervously," We had a home DNA test come in and well… there was a positive paternity match."

It was like someone had just filled his veins with ice water," What?"

"I- we checked the results upwards of twenty times and every time it came out the same. So, there is no question Mister Clive, you're officially a father."

He had a kid. This couldn't be happening. How- after all of these tests, all of these kids- how was it possible that this was happening?

Master Makarov took over once he realized that Gildarts had gone into shock," What else can you tell us about this? Do you have a name or-?" He trailed off when the lab tech shook his head.

"All tests are anonymous for us; we only have a case file number through the company." The man said helplessly," What I found the weirdest is that there was a second kit sent in that had a sample of your DNA for comparison Mr. Clive."

"What?" Both men asked in unison.

The man held up his hands," Do you have any idea how someone would have gotten ahold of your saliva Mr. Clive?"

The Ace numbly shook his head.

The old man waved that off," While concerning we can deal with that later- is there any way you can put us in contact with the company or if its possible for us to get in contact with whoever bought the test? We need to handle this as quickly as possible."

"I'll do my best- their privacy policy is pretty guarded but they might be willing to make an exception for the circumstances." Daniels said. "That said… there's something else you need to know about your daughter."

"… it's a girl?"

The mousey man looked at him in something alarmingly close to pity," Yeah, its definitely a girl." He said gently," But we found something in her DNA sample that's… concerning."

"Is she okay?!" He blurted out, how was it possible that he already loved this kid? That he didn't know the first thing about her and he already was worried for her wellbeing?

Daniels winced which made Gildarts' anxiety grow," We've… we've nicknamed her 'Miss Tuan's' in the lab." He said weakly," Because… do either of you know what 'Tuan's Disease' is?"

Both wizards silently shook their heads no, which made the man wince again.

"Tuan's Disease is a serious genetic disease that works by preventing the body from absorbing any nutrients from food, basically… if you survive all the other side effects then you wind up starving to death. And… well she's not just a carrier, she's got the complete form of the gene. There's a very real possibility that at some point the disease will become active and… well Tuan's doesn't have a very high survival rate."

It was like someone had just stabbed him in the gut.

This couldn't be happening. He couldn't find out that he had a daughter only to lose her.

"Master." He said slowly," Master we need to find her- I- "The old man stretched his arm so he could rest a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"We'll find her Gildarts." Makarov swore, before turning back to the lacrima, a deadly serious look on his face," Give me all the information and contacts you can, I'll handle the rest."

oOOOOo

"I can't believe this!"

"Yeah- neither can I but that's the fifth time you've said it." Macao grumbled irritably, being wedged into a bush staking out a post office was not how he'd like to be spending his Saturday.

"But seriously- how is it possible that he's got a kid?" Wakaba asked incredulously," He's had what- a hundred cases? Two hundred? How is it possible that the one time it comes back positive the kid lives in Magnolia?"

"I don't know- statistics aren't exactly my thing." The fire wizard snapped, raising the binoculars to his eyes to check out the post office. The representative said that the results would be sent to box 7685 at this post office. And since the employees at the post office had told them to go kick rocks when they asked who had the box, that left Master to go to plan B.

Since both he and Gildarts were too recognizable, he had decided to bring Macao and Wakaba into the fold. After briefing them, he had ordered the two of them to stake the place out- if someone went for the box then he wanted to know.

A ring filled the air as the smoker frantically answered it, hoping no one overheard the sound.

"Has anyone grabbed it yet?"

Both men let out long sighs.

"No Gildarts- no one's grabbed it yet." The dark-haired man said dryly," Same as when you called twenty minutes ago."

The Ace winced," Sorry." He said weakly," It's just… I have a kid."

"We totally get it!" Wakaba said with a smile," But if we see anyone grab it, you know that we'l- "

"Huh."

The blond stopped talking to the frantic father and turned to his friend who was adjusting the binoculars," What is it?" He asked curiously.

"Cana just walked into the place- actually it looks like she's going for… the…" Macao's jaw dropped when he saw the girl who he saw as his own daughter open the box that they were sent to keep an eye on. "Holy shit."

"What's going on over there?" Gildarts asked anxiously.

The fire wizard sat back in shock and pulled the lacrima out of Wakaba's hands," Gildarts… its Cana."

"What?"

"Cana just opened the box and grabbed the envelopes."

" _What?!"_

The two men could only watch in stunned silence as the eleven-year-old walked out of the post office, test results in hand, and began heading towards the park.

They shared a look, and immediately began scrambling after her.

oOOOOo

Cana settled herself onto a bench in Southgate Park.

This was it.

In her hands was the answer of whether or not she really was her father's daughter.

She swallowed down her fear and ripped them both open to pull out the paperwork inside.

The first few pages were boring legal stuff and information about different programs the company offered, and then she came to the page that she'd been waiting for.

_Sample 00077435 and Sample 00077436 are a confirmed Parent-Child match._

Confirmed parent-child match.

She was her father's daughter.

A spot of water falling onto the page made her start in surprise. It took longer than it should have for her to realize that it had come from her.

The papers slipped from her grasp and she buried her face into her hands with a sob of pure relief.

He really was her father.

Her mother had been right. She was the exception that proved that her dad really _could_ father children.

Maybe this was hysteria or shock or something- but she had never felt more relived than she did now.

Across the park, the two men who'd helped raise her were fighting their instincts to keep from running over to comfort her.

"What's going on?!" Gildarts demanded, the lacrima having been mostly forgotten in their mad rush to keep Cana in their sights.

Wakaba answered," She's crying."

"What?!"

"She opened the results and started crying."

This… this day was not going how either of them expected it to. They had expected to see some woman pick up the results and go directly to a lawyer's office, but this…?

"You two- you two just come back to the guildhall." Master's voice said across the crystal, "We can talk about this in greater detail."

"But Master- "Macao protested, unable to take his eyes off the sobbing little girl.

"No buts! How do you think she would react if she knew that we know about this? Back to the guildhall- _now_."

You didn't argue with Master when he brought out that tone of voice, and so, with heavy hearts, the two men walked away, leaving the brunette to continue her celebration.

oOOOOo

Gildarts didn't know what to think.

Sweet little Cana was his daughter.

That shy little sweetheart who he'd watched sprout up from a tiny little thing to a slightly taller little girl.

She cried.

He couldn't get over that little detail.

As soon as she opened the envelopes that contained the truth of their relationship she had started crying. How was he supposed to feel about that?

Master was pacing from one side of his office to the other as they waited for the two to show up.

"I wonder who her mother was." The Ace mumbled quietly, only for Makarov to glance his way.

The old man flashed him a tired smile," Cana was living in an orphanage when she came to us. I don't think I've ever heard her mention her life before it, its possible that she may not even remember her mother."

And didn't that tug at his heartstrings?

"Master… how is it possible that I suddenly love her so much?"

"Gildarts… I won't pretend to know exactly what emotions you are feeling right now, but I think I have a pretty good idea." The miniature man said gently," You are feeling like your world has been turned on its axis. Like everything you cared about yesterday is suddenly not nearly as important anymore, and you're feeling a love that is so deep and vast its like an ocean that may swallow you. All of it being directed to this one person, who is suddenly the center of your entire world."

The Ace swallowed past the lump in his throat and nodded silently.

"Welcome to the life of a parent Gildarts."

Before he could gather up his strength to say anything the door burst open, the two mage's stumbling in.

"Hi!" Macao greeted weakly, dropping into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"Status report you two." The old man said seriously," Describe what happened- you said she was crying?"

They both nodded.

"Yeah Master," Wakaba said with a nod," Macao saw her go in and access the box and we followed her to Southgate Park from there. She just… she just stared at whatever the paper said and just… broke down."

Everything was quiet as the men processed this information, before Wakaba broke the silence.

"Do you think… do you think its possible that she wanted the results to be negative?" The smoker asked, getting reactions from the other men.

"What do you mean?" Makarov asked for clarification.

"Its just… a few weeks ago she said something about going to visit her hometown, and later when I asked her about it, she said she'd brought back some of her mother's old things." He swallowed," What if her mother was married? No offense Gildarts, but you've never been the kind of guy to let a ring stop you, what if the reason she got the test to try and see if the man who she believed to be her father actually was? And… what if that reaction was because she now has confirmation that her mother cheated on her father?"

"That's… certainly a theory." The old guildmaster said quietly, refusing to look towards the crash mage.

For his part Gildarts was once again reeling.

It was true that he had slept with married women before- but never knowingly. Was it possible that he had just hurt poor Cana by inadvertently being part of this mess?

If this was the case… if this was the case, then what was he supposed to do?

Another question: why did he suddenly feel so jealous of the hypothetical man who had raised his daughter?

Who was he? Who was the man who his daughter had called 'daddy'? Was he good to her? If he had died- then had he died not knowing that the child he had raised wasn't his?

What about her mother?

Who was the woman who had brought his child into the world?

The Ace shook his head trying to clear his thoughts," Master- would it be possible to see Cana's file? There might be something in there that could give us some answers."

The old man shook his head," Unfortunately all of the guild's records are nothing but ashes now thanks to Natsu. Any information we could have found is long gone."

Gildarts almost sagged in disappointment.

Of course. Of course the records were destroyed, it wasn't like the universe could throw him a bone in trying to figure out which woman he'd been with mothered their little girl. The woman who had apparently passed on bad genes to their child.

He'd done some reading on Tuan's since he'd found out about it- in its active form it could only be passed from mother to child. And with each generation it got deadlier. Had Cana's mother died from the disease or had it been some other cause?

There was so much he didn't know in this whole mess- so much that he wanted to know.

Where did he even start?

Makarov took a deep breath," Alright, let's give Cana a few days to come to terms with this." He said firmly," Then if she hasn't come forward by the end of the week, we will figure something else out."

The younger men didn't try to argue, each lost in their own thoughts.

Macao pushed himself up," Just to clarify- I am not allowed to directly ask her or tell her we know about any of this?"

The miniature man raised an eyebrow but gave a short nod.

"Good, then I'm going to go back to the park and check on her- if she's still there I'll try to provide whatever comfort I can and maybe she'll open up to me. See you all later." And without waiting for a reply, the fire mage strode out the door.

Gildarts could only watch the man go.

How many father figures did his child have? How many men loved his daughter like she was their own?

Where would he rank among them when he finally talked to her?

All he could do was wait and see.

oOOOOo

Three days later and Cana still hadn't said anything since she had found out the identity of her father, and all four men felt their hearts ache when they saw just how hard she was trying to act like everything was normal.

Going to her classes like nothing happened, beating the entire guild at chess, and running circles around Natsu as the boy tried to prove he could play poker (he couldn't).

How lucky was he to have a daughter as talented as her?

His Cana was a dancer, a musician, a chess master, a card shark, and one of the smartest kids of her age group. Such a brave little girl to boot- keeping up a smile and acting like everything was alright, even when her whole world had been turned upside down.

Hopefully he'd be able to tell her how proud he was soon.

And maybe then he would stop feeling so damn jealous.

Macao and Wakaba had barely let the brunette out of their sight: each of them taking turns to try and make see if they could get her to open up to them.

And all he could do was watch, because until Cana was ready to say anything he had to pretend like he didn't know and it ranked among the most painful experiences of his life. To be so close to his child and not be able to talk to her, to not be able to hug her, or praise her, or even just tell her how much he loved her. And watching as two other men filled the space in her heart that should have belonged to him.

Even now as Cana was practicing a piano piece, instead of him being there to tell how talented she was it was Wakaba.

"That was fantastic kiddo!" The smoker said with a wide grin as half the guildhall clapped for the blushing girl.

"I didn't know you could play music Cana." Natsu said curiously," Where'd you learn?"

The card mage shrugged as pulled the lid down over the keys," My mother taught me actually."

Unseen by anyone else, Gildarts stiffened at this admission.

Her mother.

The unknown woman who had brought their child into the world.

So, their daughter was a musician because her mother had taught her to play… really wish this information helped narrow the pool of suspects down, but it didn't.

Wakaba caught his eye before loudly asking," You know I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your mother before." He commented.

Cana shrugged," I mean- no ones ever really asked before." She pointed out. "I grew up in a town called Sugarhill and Mama was a music teacher, and we had a puppy named Lila. Mama died when I was six and eventually I wound up here."

The smoker paused for a second before he said," So, uh, this is none of my business and you totally don't have to answer- but how did your mom die?"

" …she got sick." The girl said quietly," It was some kind of disease that started with a 't' I think- Tom's, Tim's, something like that."

"Tuan’s?" It wasn't until both Wakaba and Cana had turned to look at him that Gildarts even realized that he'd spoken.

"Yeah- that's it." The card mage said in surprise," How'd you know?"

Trying to avoid showing the terror that was suddenly rushing through him, the Ace gave his daughter a weak smile," Lucky guess- now if you'll excuse me I have to go talk to Master for a second."

And he walked away from his puzzled child, trying not to bolt up the stairs, he only succeeded until he was out of view, then he bolted down the hallway and destroyed the door to Master's office as he burst in.

"Gildarts what are you-?!"

"Tuan’s." The panicked crash mage blurted out," We can't wait anymore, I have to figure out how to tell her and get her tested because thisisn'tajokeIdon'twantherto- "

SLAP

Gildarts' head snapped to the side and he touched a hand to his cheek as the old man stared up at him in concern.

"I needed that." He admitted sheepishly, feeling the world start to come back into focus.

"I thought so." The shorter man said calmly, pushing his child into a chair," Now, care to repeat what that was about."

"Its… Wakaba was talking to Cana about her mother." The Ace explained," Cana- her mother died from Tuan's disease Master."

Thankfully the old man immediately grasped the implications.

"Alright." He said with a nod," With this new information I suppose we can't afford to wait for Cana to come to terms, I guess this means we'll have to go to plan B."

oOOOOo

This was it. The coast was clear.

Everyone was facing the bar area where Master would be giving whatever announcement he had told them about, debating on what this could be about. So distracted were they, that Macao had left his beer totally out in the open.

The brunette inched closer, like a tigress stalking her prey.

"Alright you shitty brats- listen up!"

The card mage decided to capitalize on the moment of distraction and quickly snatched the prize, scurrying away to a safe place to drink the forbidden nectar.

Taking a seat at a table deep in the throng of her guildmates, Cana took a deep sip from the mug.

Ah, this was bliss.

Beer always tasted better in the guildhall.

The violet- eyed girl turned her attention to the announcement, idly sipping at her prize.

The old man stood up on the bar," Now- I'm sure you've all seen that article on the Blue Pegasus bonding activity, yes?"

Amongst the nods and sounds of conversation, Cana stilled.

No.

This could not possibly be going where it sounded like it was going.

"Well, after seeing how well it went over it with them- I decided that we should all give it a try!" The guildmaster said cheerfully.

No. No way.

"Now- if you'll all come up, I made sure that we have the exact amount of tests we need!" He held up a very familiar box," We'll be doing the Lineage Factor tests- you know, the ones that give medical information as well as ancestry? In addition to being fun they'll also be informative!"

The brunette remained frozen as everyone excitedly collected their kits, loud yells about how hard it was to make enough spit for the test. Well… she could handle this.

The card mage quietly started inching her way towards the door. If she didn't take the test, then her secret wouldn't be at risk and she wouldn't have to deal with questions or reactions-

"Hold on there's one left! Who didn't get one?"

Shit.

Still, she could work with this- five more steps and she'd be home free.

Four, three, two-

"Hey where are you going Cana?"

Fuck!

The brunette turned around to face her foster brother and rolled her eyes. "Where are your clothes?"

Gray let out a yelp and began his usual scramble, and Cana chose to use the distraction to her advantage, once again making her way to freedom, when a hand clapped down on her shoulder.

"What's going on kiddo- you finish already?" Wakaba asked in (false) curiosity.

"Uh…" The card mage tried to come up with some kind of excuse," You see I have a- fitting!" She said hurriedly as the idea popped into her head," You see my shoe size changed and I need to get my measurements checked for new pointe shoes and I'm running late- "

"I thought you grabbed your new shoes yesterday?" Gray asked in confusion, reappearing fully dressed.

Oh, screw you Gray! See if she would cover for him again!

"I did, but I need to go back to try them on and customize them properly- "She was cut off by Macao appearing on her other side.

"Aw- come on now!" He said playfully," Don't you want to bond with your fellow guildmates? Look even Gildarts is doing it!"

And the brunette slowly turned to see her father carefully spitting into the tube, nodding his head as Natsu chattered next to him.

Alright, looks like half-truth it is.

"…I'm scared to." The brunette admitted quietly getting concerned looks for all three of her favorite guys," What if there's something in my medical tests that's bad? I think I'd be happier not knowing- "

The ice wizard butted in," If there's something bad then at least you know- wouldn't it just be better to bite the bullet? You never know, maybe it could save your life."

Fuck, she wasn't getting out of this was she?

She sighed, feeling like she was walking to her own execution," Pass the damn kit."

In two weeks, her secret would be out… and Cana had no idea what she was going to do once it was.

oOOOOo

Today was the day.

The tests were back and everyone was excitedly ripping open the envelopes with the results, Master had even received a big poster from the company that mapped out who were actually related in their Fairy Tail family.

Gildarts wished he could feel happier than he did right now, but the fact remained that over the last two weeks Cana had all but abandoned the guildhall. She would only come in to grab a job request and to drop off her reports- then she was gone.

Even now he had no idea where she was; the big moment and she wasn't there.

Morosely, the Ace slid the results out of the envelope and felt his jaw drop.

_Parent-child relationship between Gildarts Clive and Cana Alberona._

**Alberona.**

There was no possible way. This was just some kind of coincidence-

But damn it if everything didn't slide into place.

"Gildarts?" The crash mage started in surprise and looked down to face the concerned face of Master Makarov.

"Is something the matter?" The old man asked in concerned," Don't tell me you have another child?"

"No- that's-no." Gildarts was flustered," Master- Cana's last name is 'Alberona'."

The old man raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly," And her first name is 'Rebecca'- why is this significant? Gildarts are you alright?" The man asked in alarm when the red-head's skin went white.

_Rebecca!?_

This was- there was absolutely no way this was all a coincidence.

"Gildarts what's wrong?"

"I think I know who Cana's mother is now."

"You do?!" The guildmaster asked in surprise," Well- that's a good thing isn't it? At least you can tell her you remember her- "

"Master where is she?" The crash mage interrupted," I need to see her, now. You know her better than I do, where would she be?" And damn it if the admission didn't still hurt.

Makarov looked him up and down before he answered slowly," If I had to go with my best guess, I would say Griffith's across town. That's the music and dance school she attends, but if she isn't there then I'd try that old bridge on the outskirts of town, do you know it?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you Master." The taller man said politely, before he strode out of the guildhall.

He had a little girl to find.

oOOOOo

_Its snowing- Snow fairy_

_Oh, here in my hands, I'll hold it gently_

_Carrying all the light you gave me_

_Snow Fairy_

_Don't say goodbye_

Cana stopped playing when the bell above the door chimed, she didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. She swallowed down her fear. "Hello Gildarts."

The Ace didn't respond verbally, just took a seat beside her on the piano bench.

After a moment he finally spoke up," You know… you're really talented on this thing."

The violet eyed girl wasn't sure how to respond," Thank you, I guess." She said, before deciding to just come out with it," I take it you saw the test results."

Gildarts sighed," Yeah."

"So… you know now."

"Yeah, I do." He said quietly," I have a confession to make- the lab that does these tests is the same one that handles my paternity cases, and, well, when you sent in your kit the first time they called us to tell us the results."

Cana froze, feeling her heart shatter into pieces," So… you've known for that long?" She asked in devastation," Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to give you a chance to tell me yourself." He said honestly," I wasn't sure what was happening, how I suddenly loved you so much, but I knew that I had to give you a chance to come to terms with it and I didn't want to push you."

The brunette tried to blink away the tears in her eyes," So what?" She asked," Now that the whole guild is going to know the truth you wanted to get your story straight?"

"Actually, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright." He said gently," Well- that and I wanted to do this." And with that, he scooped his daughter into his arms for the very first time and held her as tightly as he dared.

She let out a sob and buried her head into his chest, falling apart now that a dream of hers had finally come true. The father just held her as she cried, gently rubbed her back until she'd finally calmed down.

After a long moment of silence, Cana finally spoke up," I did the tests because I needed to know for sure if you were actually my dad."

It took a second for him to figure out what he wanted to say," What… how did you find out?"

"…Mama told me who you were before she died. She said that you would take care of me and if I ever needed help I should go to Fairy Tail and find you. So… to a kid who'd just lost everything, I don't know. It just seemed like the best option, so I came to Fairy Tail and just never left."

"Wait… you came to the guild when you were little…" He said on the cusp of a horrifying realization.

She lifted her head up to look her father in the eye," And I've known who you were the entire time."

"What- why didn't you say anything?!"

"…I tried. I tried to tell you the first day we met, the second time I saw you, the third time I saw you, and every other time after that. Then eventually I was just too afraid to tell you, and after I saw all these kids that turned out to not be yours, well… I started having my doubts."

Gildarts pulled her tighter into his hold, all this time. She had known all this time and like a pathetic bastard he'd been too self-absorbed to see what was right in front of him.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized roughly," I should have realized who you were from the start."

"Hey, don't start like that Gildarts." She said gently," There's no need to get upset- I don't expect anything from you. Everything can stay the way it is- "

"No, it can't."

"Huh?" She asked, puzzled at his interruption.

"Nothing is the same anymore- and I'm happy for it. Now I have a beautiful and talented daughter who I already love more than life itself, and I can show the whole world how amazing she is. Cana, I'm not even sure if I have the right to ask this, but will you give me the right to love you?"

The card mage felt another round of tears build up in her eyes," That's all I've ever wanted Dad."

Then the two of them were blubbering like toddlers.

Talk about a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering if they baited her with beer to get her in the guildhall- they totally did! I focused more on the genetic disease factor- Cana was only concerned about the paternity results and thus didn't read her medical report, making it important because the way I have the disease working out in my head is the faster you diagnose, the more likely it can be treated before it ever becomes a problem.
> 
> This was one of the ones that I thought was going to be benched, but it just kept nagging at me. A womanizer like Gildarts has to have had paternity cases right and left, naturally Cana, who is already getting into her self esteem downward spiral, is going to have her doubts.
> 
> Also- swabbing a drink is most likely not enough DNA, not like I'm an authority but my advice is to just assume all the medical data in these stories is fake and if its accurate then either I got lucky or my time working in a hospital rubbed off on me.


	63. All the King's Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana died during the battle against Grimoire Heart. And everyone is trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character death, people trying to cope with character death, mention (nothing graphic) of severe headwounds, blood- this is just all around really heavy guys.  
> This is actually something I originally intended to publish with the original six chapters, but it had to go back to the drawing board five or six times until I finally had something I was happy with.

Cana had said that this would be her last trial.

She'd said it with the same certainty as she gave any of her other predictions. And when Cana made a prediction, she was never wrong, but Lucy wished that it hadn't come true like this.

Because her friend had been right: she was never going to participate in another trial. Nor was she ever going to return to the guild. She was never going to drink a bar dry or tease her about her love life or throw another party. She was never going to give her good advice or comfort her friends when they were sad.

Yes, she had said that this would be her last trial, but Lucy had desperately wished that it would be the first time she was wrong.

The sun was shining down on the temporary base camp.

It shouldn't be.

One of the most amazing people in the world was dead. It should be storming, it should be desolate, and rainy and miserable. But wanting something will not make it so.

All the devastation in the world will not stop the sun from shining and nor would it bring Cana Alberona back.

Her friend had been wrapped in the best sheet that they could find- a simple, white, cotton bedsheet that was a poor excuse for a shroud. With blood-stained bandages holding what was left of her skull together.

They had won the day, but at a cost.

Lucy felt numb.

She barely noticed when Wendy had come over, her small shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs, and healed her wounds. She had barely noticed when someone had pressed a mug of tea into her hand, that had long since gone cold. She could hear the voices of her family around her, but she couldn't understand what they were saying.

All she could do was stare at the wrapped corpse that had once been her best friend.

Cana had been right, she had left the guild forever. But forever had never felt as permanent as it did now.

oOOOOo

"She hasn't left her side." Erza reported solemnly as she stared at the devastated celestial wizard," And she hasn't responded to anything around her, I'm not even sure if she knows that we're here."

"Its to be expected I suppose." Mira whispered, her eyes swollen from all the tears she'd cried," I'd never seen Cana open up to someone like she did with Lucy. And Lucy is the type of person who loves hard."

"True." The armored wizard agreed, almost as an afterthought.

Cana had always been a peculiar person in Erza's life.

They had known each other, but not so well that Erza would call them friends. They'd had a mutual understanding, as two girls who each had their own burdens to carry, and pain to hide. Where Erza had hidden her pain behind armor, Cana had turned to drink, drowning her demons with a furvor that would have killed a lesser person.

She had always had her guard up, even the people who stood the closest to her had never known the true girl. They had seen what Cana allowed them to see- the carefree party girl who never took anything seriously.

But it had been different with Lucy.

Cana had connected with Lucy in a way that everyone had only seen her like with Gray. She hadn't had to force her smiles around Lucy, she hadn't had to pretend; Lucy had seen the Cana that Erza could only hypothesize from the rare glimpses over the years.

And Lucy had opened up to Cana equally.

Though, Erza had never seen Lucy be anything but the open, loving person that she was.

And for her to lose someone that she cared for so much-

Well, it was doubtful the Lucy that had come to Tenrou Island would ever be seen again.

"What does Master intend to do with- with the body?" Freed said, uncharacteristically stumbling over his words.

Both Erza and Mira turned to the green-haired man and shook their heads helplessly.

"I don't know." The former She-Devil said, eyes stinging as they tried to shed tears that had been completely spent," I don't think he's thought that far ahead yet."

Freed sighed," I had thought not."

The three stood in silence for a while, before Mira finally spoke up again.

"I thought it was finally going to be her year." The white-haired girl confessed," Even with everyone else competing- somehow I thought that this was finally going to be the year that everything worked out for her."

"I did as well." Freed agreed.

"I think we all did." Erza murmured.

Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

oOOOOo

"How's Lucy?" Lisanna asked quietly as she and Juvia began to prepare a meal for everyone, though how many actually felt like eating was debatable.

"Master cast a sleeping spell on her and now she's resting." The blue haired girl said in a monotone," My beloved Gray took over her vigil- he hasn't spoken since we all found out."

"I'm not surprised." The white haired girl commented, feeling her heart pull in her chest," She and Gray were always so close- when we all joined the guild I actually thought they were twins for the longest time."

"Really?"

"Yeah- they were pretty much attached at the hip." She said, feeling a lump building in her throat," I always thought that they'd go together, because I just couldn't picture a world where they were separate."

But now they would have to experience it for themselves.

Things were silent for a while, before Juvia finally spoke up," Did she have any other family?"

The youngest Strauss slowly shook her head," I don't think so-"

"Yes she did."

Both girls jerked and whirled around to face Lucy.

"Lucy what are you doing up-" Lisanna began, but the blonde cut her off.

"Cana's Dad is still alive." She informed them, her eyes as hollow as her voice," He's why S-Class was so important to her, she wanted to prove herself to him."

Lisanna and Juvia shared a look, before gently sitting the shell shocked girl down.

"I've never heard that before." Lisanna said gently," I thought she was an orphan just like the rest of us."

"She might as well have been." Lucy said dully," All she wanted was for him to acknowledge her, for him to be proud of her. She was so depressed she could barely get up in the morning."

"Juvia saw that she was sad, but she didn't know it was that bad."

"It was."

For a moment, all was silent, but Lucy abruptly stood up and began heading away from the camp.

"Lucy where are you going?" Juvia called after her in concern.

But the blonde didn't answer and continued on her way.

oOOOOo

"Mind telling me why we're bothering to do this?" Natsu asked, unusually subdued," Its not like anyone feels like eating."

"Aye." Happy said solemnly," Fish don't sound tasty right now even to me."

Gildarts sighed heavily," Think of this more as a way to get your mind off things." He advised," There's nothing any of us can do right now, nothing any of us really feel like doing, but spending a little time focusing on something besides our grief may make us feel better."

"I don't see how."

The Ace softened and pulled Natsu in for a hug," I know kid. But these things just happen and there's nothing you can do about it. None of us will feel any better today, or tomorrow, or any time soon really. But eventually we'll all wake up and realize that we don't mind carrying it around with us."

The pinkette clearly didn't believe him, but stayed quiet.

Gildarts was having his own struggles coping with this whole mess- and oddly little of it had to do with Cana herself.

Oh, he was grieving over her death too, but not for the reasons everyone else was. He had seen Cana grow up- sprouting up from a tiny little thing to the brilliant woman she had become, but he hadn't really known her. Not like the others did.

Everyone was grieving the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a comrade- he was grieving for a life cut too short.

He had spoken to Cana only a handful of times in all the years she'd been with the guild. He had seen the powerful mage and vibrant presence that she had become- but she had essentially been a stranger.

At the news of a strangers death, you may feel a momentary flash of sadness for the loved ones left behind- but you don't mourn for them. Their death doesn't warrant more than a footnote in your life story, if even that much.

And Gildarts was ashamed to say that the first emotion he'd felt upon hearing that Cana was dead, was relief that it hadn't been Natsu.

That guilt would haunt him, he had no doubt about that.

But dammit he _was_ relieved.

That the person who had lost their life wasn't someone he held dear. He wasn't glad that she was gone, but being happy that all his loved ones were accounted for wasn't something he could regret.

The sound of a twig snapping behind them had all three heads turning around, their guards coming back up as they dreaded a second fight.

"Lucy?" Natsu said in surprise as the blonde made her way over to them," I thought you were sticking around the camp."

The blonde gave her friend a weak smile that was clearly forced," I realized that I needed to tell Gildarts something."

The Ace blinked in surprise," Tell me what?"

Lucy ignored him and addressed Natsu and Happy," Could you guys give us a few minutes?"

The duo of boy and cat shared a confused look," Um, why-?"

" _Please_ guys."

That got both of their attention, whatever this was had to be important.

"If you need us, just yell." Natsu informed the blonde as he and Happy walked off, leaving Lucy and Gildarts alone.

The Ace tried to figure out what she could possibly want to tell him that was so important," So, what's up?"

Lucy stared at him for a long moment," She did it all for you."

"What?" He asked, not comprehending what she was saying.

"Putting herself through the S-Class trials time after time, training until her fingers bled- Cana did it all for you. So you'd notice her, acknowledge her. She drove herself insane because she wanted your attention." Lucy said bitterly," You're even the reason she joined the guild."

Gildarts started as he tried to make sense of the gibberish coming out of this girls mouth," Why would she-?"

"Because she was your daughter."

Everything stopped- the birds stopped chirping, the water stopped flowing, the wind stopped blowing- even his heart stopped for a moment.

"...what? _"_ He asked desperately (he had to have heard her wrong)," That's- theres no way-"

"But its true." Lucy said levelly," Cana's mother told her who you were and how to find you before she died, and Cana came all the way to Magnolia because she wanted to find you. She tried to tell you who she really was for years, but eventually she just stopped trying. She believed that you wouldn't want her for a daughter- that she was too weak for you to care. So she decided that if she made S-Class then she would finally be good enough to tell you who she really was."

Gildarts couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, all he could do is stare in mounting horror at the celestial wizard as he desperately wished that this would be nothing but a bad joke. That everyone would jump out of the trees and yell 'gotcha'! That little Cana would be among them laughing and making big mock bows as everyone applauded her acting.

The blonde stared at him, not even finding it in herself to care as his distress visibly mounted," I felt like you deserved to know. Whether or not she won the trials I was still going to make her tell you the truth. And now… all she ever wanted was for you to pay attention to her, I can't let them bury her with you still ignorant."

And with those final words, Lucy turned on her heel and walked away, leaving the devastated father alone to grieve.

oOOOOo

He wished he had some alcohol.

Figures- he finds out that he'd had a daughter right in front of him all this time, that she'd suffered from having to carry that secret around all these years, and that she died never having told him the truth- and all he wants to do is get drunk.

Gildarts couldn't believe it- didn't _want_ to believe it- but Lucy had no reason to lie.

He'd had a daughter, all this time.

Cana had been so beautiful- he still remembered the first day he saw her. A tiny little girl with a tinier puppy, her big eyes had taken up half her face, and smile- guess he knew why she had given him that smile now.

And now as he searched his memory for every interaction he'd ever had with that beautiful little girl, the more he hated himself.

Because he remembered that little girl constantly trying to talk to him, that whatever she'd had to say had been very important, but he'd been too involved with his own damn self to ever give her the time of day.

He watched her grow up… watched her go from child, to adolescent, to teenager, and finally the beautiful young woman who was now wrapped in a white cotton bed sheet, the blood seeping from her wounds staining it crimson.

Who had her mother been?

Who had brought his child into the world? Why had she sent Cana to Fairy Tail when she'd died, why hadn't she told him as soon as she realized that she was pregnant?

Guess he'd never know.

_'Putting herself through the S-Class trials time after time, training until her fingers bled- she did it all for you.'_

Had she cried when she saw him be a father to Natsu and Lisanna and everyone else except for her? Why had he ignored her? It wasn't like he'd had a reason, a child that sweet deserved all the attention in the world. She deserved praise for the skills she'd developed, she deserved more than him.

He had been relieved when he'd found out that the casualty hadn't been someone he cared about. And now his guilt had turned to disgust- so what if he hadn't know she was his child? She'd still been someone's child.

He hadn't thought he'd had to care about Cana, and now he was certain he didn't have the right to mourn her.

Because he couldn't be certain if he would be grieving for her- the daughter he'd never known he had, for all the missed opportunities, and all the time he would never make up for- or if he was wallowing in his own guilt.

…who had tucked her in at night?

She'd stayed with Master for the first few months, but after?

Who had tucked that beautiful little girl into bed at night, who had read her bedtime stories about handsome princes and knights in shining armor? Who had taken care of her when she was sick? Who comforted her after she had a nightmare?

Who did she cry to when she saw her Daddy ignore her?

If only he could turn back time to the moment he saw that beautiful little girl standing outside the guildhall.

He'd do things right- he'd kneel down and ask the little lady what her name was and what she was doing there. And when she told him who she was he'd step up.

He give her the childhood that he never got- he tuck her into bed at night and read her as many stories as she wanted. He'd carry her on his shoulders so she could have the best view of the Fantasia parade. He'd kiss all her hurts away and tell her that he loved her every single day.

If only he could turn back time.

Instead, all he could do was wonder- 'what if'.

Because all the wishing in the world could not make the sun stop shining, it could not turn back time.

And it could not bring Cana Alberona back to life again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah that was definitely one of the darker ones I've written. No happy endings just a lot of hurt people and no easy ending in sight. Sorry? I feel like Lucy could be interpreted as cruel for the way she broke the news to Gildarts, but please bare in mind that she is not thinking straight right now. She is reeling and in shock and some part of her brain is trying to find someone to blame for her friend dying, so she focuses in on 'if it hadn't been for this stupid secret this wouldn't have happened'. Does that make sense?
> 
> Please tell me what you think: did you like it? Did you hate it? Are you just wondering what the hell happened to the sweet fluff you were expecting? Please tell me!
> 
> As usual- expect an extra sweet chapter tomorrow as an apology!


	64. Loose Tooth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana's got her first loose tooth and it is driving her insane, naturally she decides to seek some help in getting it out. However, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail if things didn't spiral out of control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by that scene for the Santa Clause 2, mostly because I thought it was hilarious and just know that someone tried this at some point in Fairy Tail's history.

Cana grumbled under breath as she furiously wiggled her loose tooth.

The stupid thing just wouldn't come out!

"What's wrong Cana?" Laxus asked curiously, the soon to be twelve-year-old plopping down next to his cousin.

"It won't come out!" She said irritably.

The blond blinked, before he remembered the conversation from earlier that week," Oh you mean your tooth?"

"Yes." She said, rolling her eyes at how forgetful the older boy could be," It's really bugging me. Daddy says leave it, but I want it out!"

He shrugged," Well- let's get it out then. Macao and Wakaba helped me pull mine out- it'll probably work for you to."

The six-year-old grinned- Laxus was awesome.

oOOOOo

"How is this even possible?!" Macao asked incredulously, staring at the irritated little girl in astonishment," We've tried everything- how is it still in there?!"

"I don't know!" She mumbled, the speech coming out slightly garbled as she talked around the string tied to her tooth," It's been bugging me all week!'

Wakaba stood up and stretched," Well we're not giving up yet- that little thing is laughing at us and it is going to pay!"

Cana looked at them warily," Uh… you know maybe I should just leave it…"

"No!" Both men said impatiently, already theorizing their next try.

This had been going on for the better part of two hours. Laxus and she had tried to have him pull it out, but the floss kept breaking. Then they had recruited the help of Macao and Wakaba- the two had laughed and tied a bit of string around the tooth that would be harder to break and then tried pulling it out themselves… the string still broke.

Then they had escalated to the classic shut-the-door-with-string-on-tooth… which also ended in failure. The then tried having Cana sit on the bar while they dropped a rock- still nothing.

Which has lead them to this point.

The whole guild was trying not to laugh as they watched the two men get the little girl set up. They had her standing on the second floor with Macao (what Master didn't know wouldn't kill them), and the string had been tied to a toaster.

Wakaba was waiting on the main floor with Laxus to catch said toaster when they dropped it.

"Okay!" Laxus yelled," Drop the toaster!"

The fire wizard grinned and dropped the appliance.

Three things happened.

First being that the string once again broke.

The second that Macao, who had been leaning over the railing eagerly waiting for the toaster to hit the floor, somehow lost his balance and accidentally shoved Cana from behind as he fell over the railing- trying and failing to catch himself.

Third: when the little girl was accidentally struck by her babysitter, she lost her balance and smashed face-first into the railing of the second floor.

Everyone gaped for moment before they flew into action.

The fire wizard was helped up by his guildmates while Laxus bolted up the stairs to check on Cana.

The six-year-old had blood gushing from both her nose and her mouth.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a rush, wondering why she wasn't at least crying (was she in shock?) when she flashed him a bright grin.

"It's finally out!" She cheered, holding up the tooth like it was some kind of trophy completely uncaring of the blood that was staining her clothes. "Why didn't we try that first!"

oOOOOo

Gildarts returned home from a long day of pretending to be nice to creeps like Ichiya as he stepped in for Master in settling a dispute between Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus.

He returned to the guildhall expected to pick up his sweet little girl and then make the walk home.

Instead he was greeted by chaos as the whole guild seemed to be clustered around the bar for some reason.

"Is everything okay?" He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at how the crowd went dead silent at the sound of his voice.

Before he could ask again a tiny shape bolted out from the crowd.

"DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY!" His little girl shrieked as she bounced right up to him, and he could only stare in horror at his blood-covered little one as she thrust something up toward him," My tooth fell out!" She said cheerfully, completely oblivious to her father's horror.

"Oh my god!" He yelped and dropped to his knees, frantically inspecting his child. "What happened?! Where are you bleeding from- hospital. Right- I should take you to the hospital. Baby who did this to you?!"

"Daddy?" Cana asked in confusion," My tooth fell out Daddy…" She said, hurt that he didn't seem to be as excited as she was.

He gaped, looking from his baby's hurt expression to the blood all over both her face and her dress and his brain shut down.

"Let's… let's go home princess." He said weakly, picking his daughter up and trying to compensate for his shaking arms," You could use a bath."

"But Daddy- "She protested but her father was completely done, mechanically beginning to walk her home.

Heads were going to roll… later though. When he could think clearly and see something beyond his sweet little girl covered in blood.


	65. Cana’s First Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While cleaning out the guild library, Lucy finds a photo album labelled Cana's first year. Mira's devil side comes out and she brings it up to the main hall where a horrified Cana tries to grab it and destroy it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is set during the episode 'Natsu and the Dragon Egg'. I have actually been intending to write this for months now but my skills as a master procrastinator made it so I didn't actually write it until recently. Enjoy guys!

"That was a totally cute story!" Lucy said in delight, as Mira smiled.

"Wasn't it?" The sweet girl said happily as she went back to filing the books," Sometimes its easy for me to forget that you haven't been here all along Lucy."

The blonde smiled," It means a lot to hear you say that." She admitted as she also returned to her task.

Ten minutes spent in comfortable silence, until the celestial wizard found something peculiar jammed into a space behind a bookcase.

It was a pale pink photo album, titled 'Cana's First Year'.

"Hey Mira, I found something shoved behind one of the bookcases!"

The white-haired girl made an interested noise as she climbed off the ladder and headed over.

Lucy held it up so she could see," It says, 'Cana's First Year'- what is this?"

Mirajane froze for a second, staring at the raised book, and then a smile crossed her lips that on anyone else Lucy wouldn't hesitate to call, well… _evil_.

"Oh, this is going to be great." The former She-Devil said reverently, as she took the book from the blonde. Ghosting her hands across the cover, her smile intensified," Let's go show everyone what you found!" She said in excitement, grabbing the confused celestial wizard by the hand and dragging her up the stairs.

"Wait- what even is that thing?"

"Something that _always_ gets a good reaction out of Cana!"

They burst up into the main hall and Mira held up the book and yelled," Look what Lucy found everybody!"

The blonde barely had time to think before a shriek temporarily deafened the hall.

"I THOUGHT I BURNED THAT THING!" Cana shrieked in terror, clearing the hall in one leap as she made a desperate grab for the book only for the white-haired girl to throw it.

"Gray catch!"

The ice wizard didn't hesitate as he leaped in the air to grab the pink book, and quickly sent it on its way as his foster sister lunged in his direction. "ELFMAN!"

"I'M THE MAN!" The male Strauss yelled as he managed to grab it and continued the game of keep-away. "MACAO!"

"I'M ON IT!" The fire wizard yelled; a lasso made from his signature purple flames snatching the book out of midair. "WAKABA!"

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Cana shrieked, climbing Wakaba like a tree as she tried to grab that horrible book.

The smoker unfortunately proved to be one step ahead of her," LEVY!"

Just as the bluenette caught the book, a familiar voice called out," What is going on here?"

The bookworm grinned," MASTER- CATCH!" She yelled, snickering a bit at the frustrated scream the card mage let out.

The old man fumbled for a second when the photo album hit him in the chest," _What is_ \- wait." He blinked owlishly as he observed the pale pink cover and then practically cooed," Oh, I've been wondering where this was!"

The brunette sank to the floor in humiliation," Somebody shoot me."

"Who wants to see Cana's baby pictures?!" Makarov called out in utter delight.

The entire hall declared their desire and the old man bunked himself down on a table and used a special lacrima to project the photos so the entire hall could see them: starting with a photo of a dark haired woman with an obviously newborn baby resting on her chest.

Lucy could only stare in complete discombobulation at the display, slowly turned to see Cana, who appeared to be trying to drown herself in beer, and then to Mira, who looked incredibly pleased with herself.

"What was- "

The white-haired girl let out a giggle," Cana is one of the Master's grandchildren." She explained, well aware of how this little fact blew the other girl's mind," That photo album is always a laugh because both Master and her father just loved to show it off and Cana is miserable every second." She shrugged," But I suppose we have to even out the scales somehow."

As the barmaid walked away to drag the brunette out of the alcohol, Lucy just stared in disbelief.

Yes, Cana liked to embarrass people, but was this really proportion-

Suddenly she flashed back to when the card mage had gleefully announced her virgin status to the hall and decided that Cana really did have this one coming.

Besides- she was really cute as baby.


	66. Mavis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Acnologia attacks before Cana has a chance to say anything, and while everyone's trying to figure out what happens next, Mavis pops up in front of her and makes her reveal the truth to her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I became very attached to the concept of the ghost ratting her out.

Seven years.

They had been asleep for seven years.

Cana was still reeling- one moment she's holding hands with everyone, and preparing herself to die, and the next she's being shaken awake by Max who was so different from the Max she knew and they were told that they've been presumed dead for seven years.

What happens now? Where do they all go from here? The world had moved on without them, how would they move on? How would their lives change?

The brunette surreptitiously eyed her father who was chatting with Natsu.

What was she supposed to do about _that_?

She had been about to tell him the truth and then a dragon shows up out of nowhere and almost kills them all, and then they got stuck in time for almost a decade- if that wasn't a sign she didn't know what was.

Cana was not particularly religious, but she had a little code that worked for her: when the universe speaks, she listens.

The universe had spoken and it said, 'keep your fucking mouth shut'. So, you know what she was gonna do?

She was going to keep her fucking mouth shut.

No point in arguing with higher powers- that's just bad for your health.

Besides, it had been twenty years now- it was probably best to just let sleeping dogs lie. She had learned her lesson; she would never take her Fairy Tail family for granted ever again.

She was just about to retreat to the edges of this little reunion when a head of blonde hair appeared right under her nose.

Cana yelped in surprise and reeled back from the apparent _ghost_ of Fairy Tail's First Master.

Ghosts.

This was her life now.

"Where do you think you're going silly?" Mavis asked brightly, her wing-like ears wiggling happily," Don't you have something to do?"

The brunette blinked down at the shorter girl in confusion," Huh?"

The blonde laughed and grinned up at her," Isn't there _something_ you need to confess to a _certain someone_?" She said suggestively, her grin decided impish," Perhaps something having to do with a _relationship_ between the two of you that you neglected to mention?"

The card mage caught on quickly, freezing in place for a second before she sputtered," How- how do you- "

"Did you already forget silly? When I gave you Fairy Glitter, I got a look at your memories. This included a certain secret of yours."

Cana stared down at Mavis, a feeling of dread overcoming her system as she stared at a grin that barely veiled evil intentions. "Well, aren't you going to go ahead and tell him? Twenty years is a very long time to wait for this sort of thing after all- might as well do it now!"

The brunette scrambled as her brain tried to come up with some sort of excuse," Um- actually its not really that big a deal- "

"Not a big deal?" Mavis asked in a feigned surprise, raising her voice much louder than strictly necessary," Why Cana- you've kept quiet for years, isn't it high time you reveal your secret?"

As soon as the word 'secret' escaped the ghost's mouth, the two of them suddenly had everyone's undivided attention.

Shit.

Cana let out a squeak like a dying mouse as she frantically tried to figure a way out of this situation, her usual tactical skills failing her as all the eyes locked on her.

"What secret?" Natsu asked curiously, cocking his head like a puppy," What kind of secret do you have Cana?"

"Um- uh, i-it's nothing- "The brunette tried to say, avoiding looking at her father and tried to bluff her way out," Its none of your business."

The ghost let out a light laugh," That's not true!" She pointed out," Its Gildarts' business just as much as it is yours!" She said sweetly, well aware of the taller girl plotting to kill her for a second time.

The Ace raised an eyebrow as he looked at the uncomfortable girl," May I ask how I'm involved in all of this?"

The card mage stared at him like a deer caught in headlights as she failed to come up with anything to say, and inwardly swore when the First Master once again spoke up.

"Well, since you need a little push, how about this: as Fairy Tail's First Master, I order you to tell Gildarts the truth about the connection between you."

While the rest of the peanut gallery visibly had question marks floating above their heads, Lucy let out a loud laugh," Go Master Mavis!" She cheered before grinning at her best friend," Come on Cana- can't disobey the Master's order!"

The brunette mechanically walked forward, grabbed her father's hand, and dragged him away from the spectators. This was not a conversation she wanted to have in front of an audience.

oOOOOo

The brunette finally stopped once she was sure the two of them were far enough away from the others.

She turned to face her old man and faltered, the words drying up in her throat, as she helplessly looked at him.

Gildarts raised an eyebrow at the girl he'd known since her childhood and decided to help her out," So, what's up?" He asked curiously," The First Master said something about a connection between us?"

What could possibly be so important that a ghost would pester her about it? And for that matter- he'd known Cana since the girl came up to his knee, but they'd only spoken two or three times- how could there possibly be a connection between the two of them?

Cana swallowed nervously," Did- did you know that the reason I joined the guild was so that I could find my father?" She asked hesitantly, which got a slow blink from the red head.

"Actually, that's the first I've heard of it." He said honestly, before realizing something," Wait- you joined to find him- you saying your old man was a member of Fairy Tail too?"

"Y-yes." This was it, no going back now. "It's you Gildarts."

It took a second to sink in.

The Ace once again gave a slow blink as he tried to process the strange riddle that had just come out of her mouth… then he realized exactly what she'd said.

" _WHAAAAAAT_?!" He screamed," YOU-YOU'RE MY- "

"Yeah." Cana said softly," I guess it's hard to believe."

"WHICH ONE'S YOUR MOTHER! Sarah, Naomi, Clara, Fina, Mary, Liza-? Wait the hair colors all wrong!" He flopped over as he frantically tried to make sense of this situation (he had a daughter. He had a freaking daughter who was _right in front of him_ )," Emma, Lila, Jenny, Sydney, Kate, the Yuugo sisters-"

 _"SISTERS?!_ " Cana shrieked furiously," JUST HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE YOU BEEN WITH?!"

"No wait- Slyvia! That's gotta be it! It's that face, she made it a lot!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS- I FINALLY TELL THE TRUTH ONLY TO FIND OUT MY OLD MAN IS A DEADBEAT WHO CAN'T KEEP IT IN HIS PANTS!" she shrieked in outrage, before angrily shoving it off," You know what- forget it. I was just letting you know- see ya!"

"Wait-!" He blurted out in panic (she couldn't go!). "Hold on!"

She spun on her heel and angrily faced him," I don't have anything else to say to you. Don't worry, I won't be moving in- I would hate to ruin your game." She spat," Just carry on like I'm not around-"

He gently wrapped the girl (his girl) in his arms for the first time in her life. "You're Cornelia's daughter, no doubt about it."

"Please let go." She said half-heartedly.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" He could have been there for everything… so much time… so many memories that he never got to make.

"It wasn't for lack of trying." The brunette admitted softly," Every time I tried to tell you something would happen- either someone would call you over and you'd leave on a job, or something else would happen. Eventually… I guess I was just too scared to tell you."

"Your mother was the only woman I ever truly loved; marrying her was the happiest day of my life. She left me eighteen years ago because all I did was work, it killed me. I've been trying to bury the pain ever since. When I found out she was gone it was like a shot to the heart." He said quietly, holding her close to his heart. "I'm so sorry. I should have realized who you really were."

Cana gently pushed herself out of his hold," Don't worry about it- I'm the one who kept it hidden all this time. It's just nice to finally have this weight lifted off of my chest." It was like she could breathe for the first time in her life.

"I've had a daughter all this time." Gildarts said softly," And she was right in front of me…" How could he be so blind? How could he make up for all the missed time?

"Hey now, there's no need for water works Gildarts." She said gently as she tried to reassure him," Don't worry- I don't expect anything from you! Nothing has to change. But… if you don't mind, I'll say it just this once: I'm glad I met you Dad. I really am."

And suddenly all he could see was that beautiful smile on her face, remembering the times when she gave him that smile. How adorable she'd been, how beautiful a woman she'd grown up to be.

"Cana!" He yelled, tears streaming down his face as he once again wrapped his arms around his little girl," I promise to never make you sad again." He swore, kissing the top of her head." From now on, we'll always be together- I don't care if it's on a job or hitting up a bar."

The brunette let out a watery laugh," I'm not so sure you can keep up with me."

He tightened his hold, maneuvering her head to rest over his heart," Maybe so, but Cana- please give me the chance to be a loving father."

"I don't have to give you a right you already have." She said as she finally let the tears fall down her face, feeling her dry lips crack from the force of her smile," Do you like pancakes?"

Gildarts blinked in surprise at the question," Doesn't everybody?"

The brunette laughed at his answer," There's a great pancake place near my ballet school… maybe, if its still open, we could get some together…?" She offered hopefully.

He grinned widely," Sounds like a plan." And without warning he scooped her up into his arms making her let out a yelp.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I gotta show off my amazing little girl, don't I?" He said in mock seriousness," And there's debris everywhere- it's so much safer if you let me carry you Princess!"

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" She snapped, struggling against his hold," Put me down-"

"No can do Princess!" He cooed happily, rubbing his cheek against hers like some kind of cat as they made their way back to the base camp.

"GUESS WHAT LUCKY GUY JUST FOUND OUT HE'S A DADDY!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to add more, but honestly, I think it turned out perfect just the way it is. Initially I was going to add a sort of 'this is what everybody hears from where they're eavesdropping' but I couldn't find a way to make it not sound tedious. Also, thanks to recent prompts this is the first of several Mavis-related fics!


	67. The Clive Home for Orphans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of how Gildarts and Cornelia wound up adopting the entire younger generation of Fairy Tail. Spoiler: it was all Cana's fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of those chapters that became something completely different than I had planned, but somehow I think it turned out better. Enjoy guys!

"Mommy can I have a little brother?"

Cornelia sputtered, choking on her coffee and hacking up half a lung in shock.

What-?

"I'm- what was that sweetie?" The mother asked after she had regained her ability to speak.

Cana eyed her for a moment before she repeated herself," Can I have a little brother?"

"That's- "Where the hell had this come from? "Why do you want a little brother sweetheart?"

The eight-year-old shrugged," I just do." She answered simply," I want to be a big sister and carry him around like Laxus carried me around when I was a baby. So, can I have one?"

Cornelia swallowed," Sweetie… that's just not in the cards for us." She said gently," You see- after Daddy and I had you we loved you so much that we wanted to have another, but that just isn't possible. Daddy and I were upset at first, but we have you and you are more than enough for us."

Cana tilted her head," Why?" She asked openly curious.

"Why what?" The mother asked for clarification.

"Why can't you have another one?"

The older brunette closed her eyes for a moment," Its just not possible sweetheart." She said firmly, wanting to nip this in the bud," Let's just go wait for Daddy- he said he should be home by this afternoon."

The look on her daughter's face made her sigh inwardly: this was far from dropped.

oOOOOo

Sure enough, later that day when the reunited family were out for ice cream, Cana once again repeated her request.

"Daddy can I have a little sister?"

This time it was Gildarts' turn to choke and after he was done sputtering, he stared right at his little girl. "Where's this coming from?"

"I just want one." Cana said passionately," Mommy said that I couldn't have a little brother, so can I have a sister?"

The Ace floundered and looked to his wife for help before answering," Cana- I don't know what to say." He answered honestly. "Its not that we don't want to give you a little brother or sister, but… baby it's just not possible."

"Why not?" She asked stubbornly.

"Cana." Cornelia said gently," Sometimes life just isn't fair- this is one of those times."

"Exactly." Gildarts said, seamlessly picking up for his wife," We always wanted to have more but the universe decided that you were all we could have, which just makes you even more precious. Do you understand Pumpkin?"

"No."

The parents shared a look but shook it off. "No matter how much we want something- sometimes it just doesn't work out." Gildarts explained patiently," We just aren't meant to have any more babies, we're okay with this and I'm sure, eventually, you will be too. You'll understand better when you're older."

The little girl nodded," Okay Daddy." And as she went back to her ice cream, both parents shared a look and Gildarts reached over to gently squeeze Cornelia's hand.

Hopefully that was the end of that.

oOOOOo

Several weeks later and the conversations had been almost totally forgotten by the members of the Clive family. Until one day…

Cana marched determinably toward her parents, dragging an uneasy, half-naked boy with her," Mommy, Daddy, this is Gray, he's my brother now." She said firmly.

Both Gildarts and Cornelia slowly blinked at that declaration.

"What?" They asked simultaneously.

"He's my brother now." She repeated firmly to her bewildered parents," He's got no where to go and no one to take care of him- you're supposed to step up and help people who need it. So he's ours now."

"You really don't have to- "The boy started but Cana cut him off.

"You have no place to stay tonight: yes or no?" She asked directly.

The boy visibly floundered for a moment," Uh- well I can manage- "

"Yes or no?"

"…no."

"You don't have anyone to make you pancakes: yes or no?"

"…no."

"You have nobody to look after you: yes or no?"

"I can look after myself just fine-!"

"Yes or no?"

"…no."

Cana opened her mouth to once again ask a question, but Gildarts raised a hand.

"We get it Pumpkin." He assured her and shared a look with Cornelia who gave him a small nod," Well, Gray if you need a place to stay until the guild can get things sorted for you, you are more than welcome to stay with us."

"You really don't have to- "

"We want to." Cornelia interrupted gently, before raising her eyebrow," But do we have to go get you clothes while you're with us?"

Gray let out a loud yelp," When did that happen?!"

All three people stifled laughs and so, Gray moved in. What was meant to last several days became several weeks, until eventually Cornelia realized that Gray had been with them for an entire year. And as soon as she realized this, she smiled and made sure to grab a cake on her way home: if any of them wondered why they never commented.

oOOOOo

Neither Gildarts nor Cornelia could imagine life without both of their children, nor did they want to. So, when a battered red-haired girl arrived at the guild one day, they were almost expecting what followed immediately after.

Cana marched right up to her parents and informed them that since Erza didn't have anywhere else to go, she would be staying with them for the foreseeable future. Upon seeing just how guarded the little red-head was, both of them immediately agreed.

It took time, but slowly Erza opened up to them, showing great aptitude for magic and weaponry and an equally great sweet tooth.

And a year after that, a brash pyromaniac entered the guild. Natsu caused trouble as easy as he breathed, he was loud, belligerent, and tried to challenge everyone he met to a fight.

And he fit into their small family like a missing piece of the puzzle- even if he and Gray frequently fought each other.

And the pattern continued.

"This is Levy, she's my sister now."

"These guys are Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna- they don't have anywhere to stay tonight."

"Laki hasn't eaten a full meal in almost three days."

On and on.

It wasn't until one day, when Cornelia was in the kitchen making dinner for her family and listening to the familiar sounds of construction as they added onto the house yet again, that she realized exactly what Cana had done.

She had realized that her parents weren't able to expand their family themselves, so she had taken it upon herself. Now they had gone from the trio they once had been to a family of fourteen.

And neither Gildarts nor Cornelia would have it any other way.

oOOOOo

Lucy couldn't believe that she was actually standing in the real life Fairy Tail guildhall!

More than that- she was now a fully-fledged member of the Fairy Tail Guild- could this dream get any better?!

Mirajane ( _Mirajane_ in the flesh!) tapped her on the shoulder," Lucy- I was wondering if you had anywhere to stay tonight."

The blonde blinked and shook her head," No- my plan was to get a hotel for a couple nights until I find a place." She admitted.

"Well, I was just about to head home- we have family dinners every Friday and I'm sure no one would mind if you join in." She offered sweetly.

"Oh!" Lucy said in surprise, immediately trying to find a polite way to turn her down," I really couldn't impose- "

"You wouldn't be imposing on anything!" The brunette who had been drinking straight from the barrel said happily as she butted into the conversation. "Mom won't mind- hell since most of us are out of town she'd be happy to have another mouth to feed."

The blonde blinked in bemusement," Wait- are you guys related?" She asked in confusion.

Both women shared a look and shrugged.

"Not by blood- but Cana's parents adopted all of us at some point in time." Mira said casually," Even though most of us have our own places now, it's still home."

Lucy took a moment and slowly nodded," Well, I mean if you really don't think I'll be a bother- "

Mirajane squealed and Cana grinned widely.

"Let's get on our way, shall we." The brunette said happily, slinging her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "You're in Fairy Tail now- I think you'll find that we're all one big happy family here. We may have our spats, but when push comes to shove there is nothing we won't do for each other."

oOOOOo

"This is your house?" Lucy asked incredulously as she took it all in. Now, Lucy was no stranger to gigantic houses. She had practically grown up inside a palace and the only other children she had been allowed to meet had similar backgrounds, but this place-

She could see the original house that it had started from, and from there a veritable fortress of towers and levels had been added on seamlessly- as if they had grown organically. Each level had its own distinctive style- with one area having a balcony with wide windows, and another had a telescope poking out of the roof.

Cana let out a loud laugh," Yeah- every time we added to the family we had to make the house bigger and since stuff would get destroyed from time to time we eventually started personalizing the place- Levy's got her own little library, Natsu's room is climate-controlled because he likes to keep his room boiling constantly, Gray lives in a walk-in freezer, Laki has a woodshop and Erza's got an armory."

Before Lucy could come up with a response, her attention was drawn to a plaque half-hidden by the jungle growing off of one of the walls:

In This House

We Make Mistakes

We Forgive Quickly

We Cherish Our Friends

We Laugh Loudly

We Say We're Sorry

We Stand Together

And Most of All: We Are A Family

The blonde stared at that sign for a long time, before Cana gently shook her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." Lucy answered with a smile.

Cana smiled down at her," Welcome to the family Lucy, we're a patchwork of issues and baggage, sometimes we fight and sometimes we don't, but for better or for worse we will always support each other. And that goes for you too. Now you ready to go in?"

"Yeah… I guess I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: You guys have no idea how much I war with myself on small details: do they have another kid after Cana? If so gender and name? Eventually I just decided on fertility issues but I'm still open to possibilities. If you guys could see how much I junked from this you would be awestruck (most of it was garbage written on sleep deprived sugar high). Though just imagining what the house would look like made me smile like an idiot.


	68. Mister Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gildarts just can't figure out why people are gawking so much- he's her father of course he's going to learn how to do her hair. It's not exactly rocket science.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be perfectly honest I hate the term 'Mister Mom' and from how I conceptualize Gildarts I think he would to. He's the kind of guy who doesn't give a single fuck about things that are traditionally masculine or feminine, if his daughter needs him to be something then he's going to be it.

"Alright- next thing you're going to do is twist the hair like this," The nice woman said, giving her daughter's half-finished braid a twist as a demonstration.

Gildarts carefully tried to copy the movement but accidentally pulled it a little too tightly, causing Cana let out a small yelp.

"I'm sorry Sweetheart!" He blurted out, frantically dropping the messy braid like it was on fire.

His little princess twisted around on the small stool and gave her father a look that practically screamed 'you wuss'. "Daddy it didn't hurt _that_ bad."

But that was the fourth time he'd hurt her. He wasn't supposed to hurt her- he was supposed to shower her with kisses and love- not make her cry out!

If you had told him five years ago that he would be taking lessons on how to properly do his daughter's hair he would have laughed right in your face. If you had told him a year ago, he probably still would have laughed.

Yet here he was.

Two months ago his darling little girl had asked if she could take ballet class and like a good father he wanted to encourage her creative spirit (she was so cute in her tiny little leotard!) and he also couldn't say no to her even if he tried.

Unfortunately, he had quickly been kicked out of the building for clinging to the small window of the dance studio his baby was practicing in- apparently, he was 'distracting the children'. All he wanted to do was watch his little princess be adorable and learn something new- why was that a bad thing?!

So now he was only allowed for pickup and drop off, which is probably why it took him a little while to notice.

He would drop his baby off for her class with her tiny little curls either hanging freely or loosely tied back with one of the few hairbands Cana had brought with her when she'd come to Magnolia, and when he picked her up her hair would either be neatly braided back or in a tiny little bun on her head.

Apparently, she wasn't allowed to start class if her hair wasn't tied back properly, so one of the other mom's was nice enough to do it for her before class every week. The biggest problem he had with this was that no one had bothered to tell him about it.

And when he had asked, they had apparently believed that a single dad either wouldn't care or find it 'beneath him' to learn how to do something as trivial as his daughter's hair.

Quite frankly he found that offensive.

Not only because they had assumed the he couldn't be bothered to learn how to do it properly, but also because that belief was well-earned because there were a fuck ton of men who probably _did_ think this sort of thing was beneath them.

She was his daughter and it was his job to do her hair- since he didn't know how, then he would just have to learn.

Thankfully the mom had been more than happy to teach him what to do and was being more patient with his fumbling than he probably deserved.

Cana was more than happy to go along with her Daddy pulling on her hair, mostly because she had been well bribed, but also because she liked the idea of not having to sit out of part of group warm ups because her hair wasn't done.

Ten more minutes of patient instruction and fumbling, and he was proudly staring at the completed braided bun. Sure, it didn't look as neat as the one the mother had done, but it was a start.

oOOOOo

"Cana hold still." Gildarts said around the bobby pins in his mouth, trying to get his wiggly six-year-old to cooperate as he did her hair.

"Yes Daddy." The tiny brunette said obediently, trying to keep as still as possible.

"Thank you, sweetie." The Ace said, putting in another pin to hold it in place when a loud laugh distracted both of them.

"Never pegged you for the Mister Mom type Gildarts," Macao said with a laugh, a teasing smirk on his face.

Gildarts rolled his eyes and refused to answer, finishing off his daughter's hair with one last pin. "Alright you're done."

The six-year-old let out a cheer and immediately grabbed the small pink bag next to her and began tugging her father towards the door," Lets go! Letsgoletsgo- "

The giant of a man immediately crouched down and put his hands on the child's shoulders," Deep breath in." He ordered, making the little girl cut herself off in order to puff her cheeks out like a chipmunk. "Okay, now let it out."

Cana loudly breathed out, blowing right in her father's face. Significantly calmer now the little girl once again tugged at her father's hand. "We've got to go Daddy!"

Gildarts smiled and scooped up his tiny daughter. Pressing a kiss to her head, he called out over his shoulder," I'll be back in about fifteen minutes guys!"

oOOOOo

"Seriously though- it was absolutely adorable the way you did her hair and all." Wakaba said with a laugh as he, Macao, and Gildarts shared a pint of beer.

The Ace raised an eyebrow," Not that I'm complaining, but why was it adorable?"

The smoker laugh and gestured to Gildarts' massive bulk compared to the room," You're _you_ and Cana's _this_ ," here he held his hand about a foot's distance off the table," Its always funny watching the size difference between you is all."

The red-haired man laughed, he had to admit it probably did look weird to outsiders. To him, Cana was a delicate and fragile little thing that he carried because he was terrified of the wind carrying her away- he couldn't imagine how they must look from an outside perspective.

"Though I have to admit- I was really surprised about the hair thing." Macao said suddenly.

"Surprised how?"

The fire wizard took another gulp from his mug," Its just here you are- the ultimate man's man and you are doing your ballerina daughter's hair. I know a lot of guys who wouldn't have bothered learning and would've just let that mom handle it, got to admit I really respect you."

Gildarts shook his head," You shouldn't have to." At the confused looks he elaborated himself," I learned how to do her hair- a simple task any parent, male or female, of a little girl should do. I shouldn't be getting compliments for it because it should just be the norm."

"Well said."

All three men turned to face the proud face of Master Makarov, the old man looking like the cat who got the cream.

"Even if it should be the norm- you should still feel proud of yourself for making the effort when you easily could have passed the task off." The old man held up a hand to block the crash mage, who had been intended to say it was no big deal," If nothing else, I am so proud of you Gildarts, you've become a fine man and a fantastic father."

The Ace blushed lightly at the praise before catching a glimpse at the clock. "Is that the- see you later guys!" The man yelled as he bolted out the doors, not wanting to be late to pick his daughter up from her class.

He still didn't get what the big deal was- it was just hair, not rocket science!

And even if it was, he'd do anything for his daughter. It was his privilege as her father to be whatever she needed him to be.


	69. Baby’s Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep your eyes on the children when you are babysitting, for they are fast and excellent at disappearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one didn't quite come out like I wanted it to, but translating what I see in my head to words can be really hard.

Cornelia exhaustedly bounced her giggling baby on her knee, praying to every god she didn't believe in for the little girl to get tired so all of them could get some sleep.

Gildarts stumbled through the door, a paper bag of groceries under each arm and an obscenely large coffee in each hand.

"Sorry it took me so long!" He blurted out dropping the bags on the kitchen table and passing his wife one of the cups.

The exhausted mother gave her husband a grateful smile, then took a sip… and immediately spat it back out.

"Gildarts- that's- "She coughed sputtering as her husband stared at her in alarm, she raised a hand and then continued," That wasn't decaf idiot! Our baby isn't sleeping, and you want me to feed her breastmilk laced with speed?"

The crash mage winced," Sorry." He apologized, then offering," I can take her and you can go get some- "

He was cut off by the brunette's raised hand.

"Don't bother- it's not like the decaf would have helped much anyway. Thank you for trying." She said glumly, brightening slightly when her husband gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"And how are you Cana?" He cooed, easily pulling the happy baby into his arms, smiling as she immediately grabbed at his nose. "Were you good while I was gone- are you sleepy angel?"

The tiny girl blew a spit bubble that her parents had unfortunately come to understand meant: 'Of course I'm not sleepy! Silly Daddy!'

This had been their life for the last month.

Cana had apparently decided that sleep was for the weak and loudly protested when her parents tried to put her down… or tried to get any sleep themselves.

A loud knock on the door made all three heads turn, Gildarts being the one to go answer it so his poor wife could have a minute. He blinked surprise when he saw Master waiting on the other side with little Laxus.

Cana let out a squeal of delight when she saw both her grandfather and her big cousin, Laxus equally lighting up when he saw the baby.

"Hi Master, hi Laxus." The Ace greeted with a small smile," What brings you here?" He asked casually as he led the two inside.

"We were in the neighborhood and I figured I would talk to you about the new paperwork requirements for S-Class jobs and also get to see my granddaughter." Makarov said happily, giving a nod to the lady of the house." Cornelia."

"Master." She said with a smile and a nod, then getting down on her knees," And hello to you Laxus."

"Hello Miss Cornelia!" The six-year-old said happily, "Can I play with Cana now?"

The adults all stifled a laugh, Gildarts passing the baby into the young blond's arms.

"Hi Cana!" He chirped, the baby letting out a squeal of her own, as the two of them settled onto the floor to play with some of Cana's many toys that laid scattered all over the house. The children completely content to ignore the adults.

"Oh, to be young," Makarov said fondly as his grandchildren played, then turning to raise an eyebrow at the exhausted parents," Baby still not sleeping?" He asked which got two tired nods.

"Doesn't matter what we try- she just won't sleep." Cornelia said in frustration.

"What I still can't understand is where she gets all this energy from?" Gildarts asked incredulously," Is she sucking in sunlight like a plant or something?"

The old man looked deeply concerned," Is there anything I can do?"

The parents shook their heads.

"Thank you for the offer Master," Cornelia said gratefully," But this isn't anything we can't handle."

Suddenly an idea popped into Makarov's head," How about I take Cana for the day?" He offered," You two haven't had a day to yourselves since she was born and this way you two can sleep and I can spend some time with my granddaughter."

The husband and wife paused, sharing a glance before shrugging simultaneously.

"That sounds great- thank you Master." Gildarts said sincerely.

"Its settled then- drop her off at the guild tomorrow and leave the rest to me."

oOOOOo

Cana carefully inspected the new toy with a critical eye, blinking in surprise when it made a funny sound as she shook it back and forth.

"See- what'd I tell ya?" Macao said smugly to the peanut gallery," Give her a toy and she'll keep herself occupied, we don't ha- _fuck_!" He swore jerking back when the thrown rattle hit him in the eye. The baby, pleased with her aim, started clapping as the rest of the guild burst out laughing.

The baby had been dropped off bright and early that morning, and her parents had been able to quietly sneak away as Laxus enthusiastically greeted her. She hadn't been happy when she had realized they were gone, but the hustle of the guild was enough to distract her.

Then two things happened.

The first being Laxus was forced to leave to go to his tutor's for his daily lessons, the second being that someone blew up a warehouse across town and Makarov was forced to leave to go make sure the owner didn't sue the guild over it.

This forced the old man to leave his precious granddaughter in the care of his other children, something he was tentatively optimistic about- he'd only be gone for a few hours at most, what could possibly happen in that time they couldn't deal with?

Macao was trying to censor himself as he nursed both his eye and his wounded pride. Wakaba, still chortling, clapped him on the shoulder.

"You really are the baby whisperer." The smoker said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

The fire wizard scowled up at his friend," Its not like any of you guys had any better ideas!" He exclaimed, turning toward the group.

As the adults were occupied, Cana, who had recently learned how to crawl, noticed a butterfly that had flitted its way into the guildhall. The baby was completely mesmerized and when the insect started to leave the guildhall, she, naturally, decided to follow. Making her way out the doors with her caregivers none the wiser.

Wakaba let out one last laugh at his friend's bruised eye and shook his head," Anyway- you hungry miss Ca-" His voice died as he took in the blanket that had previously held an eight-month-old baby girl.

All around him everyone else noticed what, or rather _who_ , was missing from this picture.

Nab, a newcomer to the guild, was able to sum up the collective thoughts of their plight relatively easily.

"We are so fucking screwed."

oOOOOo

The people of Magnolia had lone since become accustomed to the antics of Fairy Tail. So, when what appeared to be the majority of the guild swarmed the streets in a desperate panic, calling out the name of Gildarts' baby girl… well its not to say they weren't _curious_ , but they largely ignored it and went about their days.

There were ten people in the guildhall, going over the building with a fine-toothed comb as everyone else swarmed the streets- all desperately looking for the missing baby.

"How is this even possible?" Macao asked Wakaba incredulously," We had our eyes off of her for maybe two minutes! How could she just disappear like this?!"

"Kids man! Not shut up and find her or we're all dead!" The smoker yelled back, crawling on his hands and knees through the shopping district, trying his best to spot the dark-haired little girl.

Meanwhile, having not given up in her pursuit of the butterfly, Cana found herself in a very pretty place, with trees and flowers and even more butterflies!

The little girl squealing in delight as she sat herself down among the flowers, various other winged insects flitting past and even creepy crawling little things all over the ground!

With one chubby hand, she roughly picked up a worm from out of the dirt. Watching with a wide smile as it squirmed over her hand. Curiously, she put the thing in her mouth to see what it tasted like, only to spit the thing out immediately, a sour look on her face at the terrible taste in her mouth.

This wasn't fun- oh, what was that?

The baby's attention was once again captured by a passing balloon that drifted along in the sky. And, once again, our fearless adventurer set off in pursuit of this new curiosity.

oOOOOo

"Reedus one a scale of one to ten, how believable do you think a Cana made out of picto-magic would be?" An anxious Vigitar asked the artist who scowled at him.

"Absolutely nonexistent." The usually cheerful man drawled acerbically.

"We are so massively screwed!" Nab yelled for the fifth time in a row, as he desperately searched through every small hiding place he could find.

"WE KNOW!" The rest of the wizards assigned to search the guildhall screamed in irritation.

"Okay. If I was a baby- where would I run off to?" Vigitar said out loud, trying to put himself in Cana's shoes (metaphorically, because he was pretty sure the baby hadn't actually been wearing shoes). "Fuck- what do babies like?!"

"Bright colors?"

"Shiny things?"

"Candy?"

Everyone started yelling suggestions as they all collectively tried to figure this out. Master could be back any second now and if they all wanted to live they had to find Cana before that happened.

Elsewhere, Macao and Wakaba had moved from the shopping district to an area by the train station that was notorious for attracted all kinds of little mons- kids. They meant _kids_.

"Wakaba you've got a little niece, right? Where would she go?"

The smoker sat up and looked at his friend in confusion," I don't have a niece. What are you talking about?"

Macao turned to his friend, equally confused," I thought your sister had a kid named Tracy or something?"

"…Um. First of all its 'Gracie' and second of all, Gracie is a dog."

The fire wizard blinked," Oh." He said dumbly, and then after a moment of silence," … well babies, dogs- they can't be too different. Where would the dog go?"

After a full minute of staring at the other man like he'd grown a second head, Wakaba shrugged," Wherever there's food I guess."

"Sounds perfect- there's this little area near Kardia Cathedral with good street food. We can try there."

oOOOOo

This had to be the most exciting day of Cana's life!

She'd been upset when Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, **and** La-la had run out on her- but she was having so much fun!

There were so many pretty flowers and bushes and places for her to hide and explore! There were pretty bugs too! Blue ones, green ones, orange ones, and lots of them had wings! And then a big puppy had come over and sniffed at her and it was really fluffy and soft and nice!

And she got real dirty and no one was coming to spoil her fun!

Could this day get any better?

While the baby was occupied in petting and pulling at the stray dog that was being surprisingly tolerant of animal abuse, she was spotted by a figure who had been walking by.

The figure quickly approached the infant and as soon as they were close enough, scooped her up and continued back on their way.

oOOOOo

How was it possible that almost a hundred people had failed miserably at locating a single baby?!

Everyone had returned to the guildhall empty handed.

It didn't matter what they did- crawling all over the city, poking their heads into storm drains, begging every single person they could find for information on the whereabouts of little Cana Clive.

"So that's it?" Macao asked dejectedly," We're all going to die."

"Yeah."

"Seems like."

"At least we'll have company as we go to the afterlife."

Then a miracle happened.

Laxus, who had been let go early, walked right through the doors and in his arms, babbling cheerfully, was little Cana Clive.

As everyone in the hall felt their eyes bulge out of their skulls and their jaws hit the floor, the blond smiled happily.

"Hi guys!" He greeted, then held up his little cousin," I found Cana in the park on my way home! I couldn't find anybody, so I decided to bring her back home." He finally seemed to register the weird looks on the faces of the adults and gave them a confused look as he asked," Uh- are you guys okay?"

Reedus calmly got up, pulled baby Cana out of her cousin's arms and start sobbing tears of joy.

The whole room cheered, praising Laxus to the ground and back.

"WE'RE NOT GONNA DIE!"

"LAXUS I COULD KISS YOU!"

"WHEN YOU'RE OLDER REMIND ME TO BUY YOU A DRINK!"

Both children starred at the adults that were clearly weirdoes and shared a look that clearly communicated that they were the only sane ones in the building.

"Um- did I miss something?" The six-year-old asked hesitantly as one of the newer guild members clapped him on the back.

"She snuck out when we weren't looking- you just saved our skins!"

The blond raised an eyebrow," Why didn't you guys just use the hairclip?"

"The what?" The whole room asked at once.

The boy shrugged and gestured to the clip that was holding the little girl's tiny curls out of her face," Her hairclip has a tracking spell on it. The monitor is in her bag I think."

Wait-

" **WHAT?!"**

"You mean to tell me- "Macao stated eyes wide," That we searched the entire town for _nothing?!_ "

"Well I wouldn't say _nothing_."

The room froze as turning as one to face the quietly furious face of the miniature guildmaster.

"Hi Grandpa!" Laxus said excitedly, Cana giving her own welcoming squeal, as everyone else broke out in a cold sweat.

"Hello Laxus." The old man said kindly, taking his granddaughter back from a shell-shocked Reedus. The miniature guildmaster then fixed his gaze back onto his nervous children," Imagine my surprise when after settling the dispute, I hear from several people that members of our guild were running through the streets looking for a little girl that I had left them in charge of." His eyes narrowed and everyone gulped," You lot have a lot of explaining to do."

"Y-yes sir."

The old man then examined his happy granddaughter- other than being filthy she didn't have a mark on her. "Alright." He scanned the crowd for his choice of victim," Wakaba."

The smoker straightened," Sir?"

"She needs a change- I trust that you can handle a task that simple without issue." The smoker blanched but nodded and took the baby. Holding her under the arms at about a foot's distance away from him as he took her back to where her baby bag had been left.

"As for the rest of you-" The miniature man let his magic pressure flare out into the room, bringing everyone to their knees as they felt a physical reminder of just why their Master was a Wizard Saint. "Prepare for the beating of your lives."

oOOOOo

When Gildarts and Cornelia arrived at five o'clock that afternoon to pick up their baby, they were alarmed to say the least, when they saw the sorry state of the entirety of the guild.

"What happened?!" The crash mage exclaimed in shock, staring at the groaning piles of the badly battered fairies.

"Oh, don't worry!" Makarov piped up cheerfully from his perch on the bar," They just needed a lesson in responsibility that's all!"

Both husband and wife stared incredulously from the wounded to the cheerful man and were about to ask when the old man gestured to a small playpen that had been set up in the corner.

"Cana had quite the exciting day- tuckered the little dear out."

"Wait she's asleep?" Cornelia asked in shock, quickly making her way to the playpen (...why was it nailed to the floor?) to see her baby fast asleep on top of a snoozing Laxus.

The miniature guildmaster nodded," Like I said it has been a very eventful day- I did wind up having to give her a bath- "His explanation was cut off by a grateful Gildarts.

"I don't care what you did or how you did it- she's asleep and we're going to get her home before she wakes up." The Ace said as he grabbed Cana's baby bag as Cornelia picked up the still snoozing little girl. "Thank you so much- you'll have to tell us what you did later."

From their places on the floor the members of Fairy Tail let out sighs of relief.

They'd have to face the music for this at some point- but if they played their cards right then they might be able to minimize the damage. They'd all learned a very important lesson today: when babysitting, never, _**ever**_ take your eyes off the kid.

Doing so is hazardous for your health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the hair clip was a joint decison for both Gildarts and Cornelia- both just in case of her running away and kidnappings. I actually intended to post something else this week but life happens. I don't know about the quality of this one, while not so bad I had to pull it, its also not my favorite either.


	70. Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wendy has never considered herself brave. But when she finds out about Cana's deepest secret, and finds out why the girl she looks up to is so depressed, she decides that its time to give this bravery thing a shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: References to depression and alcoholism (its Cana)
> 
> Bad summary, I know. But I promise the fic is better than it!

Wendy was very proud to say that she was adjusting to her new life in Fairy Tail quite well.

Sure, she missed Cait Shelter, even though they hadn't been real they'd still been real to her. It… some days were easier than others, but everyone in Fairy Tail had gone out of their way to make sure she felt welcome and it was wonderful.

Everyone was going out of their way in order to include her in things like the flower-viewing festival and the twenty-four hour race. Erza and Lucy were constantly checking in on her- to make sure she knew her way around Magnolia, that she had someone to go with her on jobs, and even to just offer her and Carla some company.

Natsu might be loud but it was amazing to have another dragon slayer around. Gajeel was nice too, even if he did treat her like a pip.

Fairy Hills had gone from a place to live to feeling like a home, and all the other girls were so nice to her. Wendy knew that it wasn't right to play favorites, but if she had to pick then it would definitely be Cana.

She'd been intimidating at first- loud, abrasive, and kind of pushy- but as Wendy got to know her she realized that you really can't judge a book by its cover.

While everyone else treated her like a kid, Cana didn't.

Cana treated her like any other person; she never tried to push Wendy to eat her vegetables or censored her language around her or treated her like she wasn't a capable wizard. She listened to what she had to say and respected her decisions. But she still made sure that Wendy knew that her door was always open if she needed something- whether it was someone to go on a job with her or just wanting to sit with another person, Cana was always available.

It was odd but being with Cana gave Wendy a warm feeling in her chest that previously only Grandeeny had sparked. She just had this motherly kind of air where she made you feel safe without being overbearing.

Even tonight, when Wendy slipped into the card mage's room during one of the worst storms in years, the brunette hadn't even commented, just moved over to give the bluenette space to sit on her bed with her.

Wendy flinched at the crash of lightning echoed by booming thunder overhead, and a hand gently reached out to pull her against Cana.

The shy dragon slayer looked up at the older girl who smiled gently at her and rubbed soothing circles into her back.

Cana wasn't a replacement for Grandeeny, but she made an awesome big sister.

oOOOOo

Late one night when Wendy and Cana were the last two in the common area of Fairy Hills, the blunette finally got up the nerve to ask a question that had been in the back of her mind for weeks.

"Hey Cana?" She asked, getting the older girl's attention," Why do you drink so much?"

Cana blinked at the question and then let out a small mirthless laugh that made something pull deep inside her stomach.

The card mage looked at the bottle in her hand, before addressing the question," Its just a bad habit that I'm not quite ready to shake."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, cocking her head to the side.

Cana shook her head and pulled Wendy into a one-armed hug," Everybody drinks for a reason kiddo. Some people drink to socialize, some people drink just to get drunk, some drink to escape and then there are people like me, who drink because we just don't know what to do with ourselves."

The bluenette didn't even have to verbalize her next question as Cana clarified.

"I was in a bad place when I started drinking- the alcohol dulled the pain, but after some time I started drinking because I'd forgotten how to be happy without it. I'd tell myself that it was just because the booze at the guild tasted great, but that wasn't true." The brunette set the bottle down on the small coffee table in front of them with a heavy clunk," The reason I was drinking was because I was trying to drown my demons."

"…what sort of demons?" Wendy whispered; not sure she'd like the answer.

Cana gave the younger girl a wry smirk," All sorts." She answered, not elaborating and moving on with her story," Eventually I got myself to a point where I realized that I couldn't lean on alcohol like a crutch- because all that would get me is an empty bank account and a trashed liver. So, I started working on it, and now, barring the occasional slip, the only times I drink to excess are when I'm surrounded by people I care about and who care about me. When I'm alone its fine to drink for taste- but its no use trying to drown your demons when they know how to swim."

"I don't understand." The dragon slayer admitted, and the card mage just pulled her a little closer.

"And that's totally fine." She assured her," You're young, but sooner or later you will understand, and when you do, you'll know that you have all of us here to rely on. But let me tell you something." Here the seriousness of the conversation vanished as Cana gave her one of her trademark teasing grins," If I ever catch you touching one drop before you're of age, I'll make you wish for Master's punishment game. Got that?"

"Got it!" Wendy said with a bright smile.

Cana checked the time and sighed," I think its about time for me to hit the hay kiddo- you coming?" She asked, gesturing towards the stairs with her chin.

The bluenette nodded," Yeah I'm pretty tired." She admitted.

And she followed what had become a comfortable part of their routine, with Cana gently herding her to her door. But before she went in, Wendy wrapped her arms around the older girl's waist in a hug.

"You can rely on me too Cana." She said quietly.

The brunette gave her a gentle grin," I know kiddo. If I ever need help, you'll be the one I call for. Now goodnight."

"Goodnight."

oOOOOo

Cana wasn't acting like herself.

Wendy couldn't put her finger on just what was wrong, but it was clear something was bothering her.

Everybody else was going crazy welcoming Gildarts home, but Cana just looked sad.

The brunette was in a corner nursing a barrel with an exhausted expression. Her shoulders curled in on herself like she was carrying too much weight and her eyes seemed dull.

"Cana, are you okay?" The bluenette asked in concern.

The card mage started and looked at her with wide eyes, before her expression twisted into a forced smile," I'm fine kiddo."

"You don't look fine." Wendy pointed out as she took a seat at the table Cana was sitting on top of. "You look sad."

The brunette shook her head and tilted the barrel back to gulp the last of her beer," Woo that hit the spot!" She said loudly with false enthusiasm. "Think I'm going to head home early tonight- see ya tomorrow Wendy." She said as she grabbed her bag and quickly left the guild hall, leaving Wendy standing there.

"Is something wrong Wendy?" Mira asked sweetly as she came to collect the empty barrel.

"Mira do you know what's bothering Cana?"

The white-haired girl blinked," What do you mean?"

The dragon slayer shifted her weight nervously," Its just… she's not acting like herself. I tried asking but she just said everything was fine and walked away. But I know it's not."

The She-Devil sighed," Well, she always gets upset around this time of year. I wouldn't worry too much; she usually gets over it quickly."

"What do you mean? Why does she get upset?" The bluenette asked in concern.

Mira motioned for the younger girl to follow her as she carried the barrel back to the bar," You see the S-Class Trials are coming up soon- for all the years Cana's been nominated she's never been able to win. This time of year, she usually drinks more than she usually does and says she's going to leave the guild if she doesn't win this year."

"What?" Wendy asked in shock, her eyes wide and hands covering her mouth.

"Oh, don't worry she won't actually leave." Mira assured her," She's been saying it for years and she hasn't left yet- don't worry this will pass. It always does."

"Why hasn't she been promoted yet?"

The bartender sighed again as she prepared another round of mugs," She just has a lot of bad luck I guess- her first time Laxus was in a bad mood and he broke her arm in four places. The second, well…" Her cheeks heated up," Well- you see Erza and I got a bit… _overzealous_ and we kinda… put her in the hospital for a month…"

At Wendy's horrified look, the She-Devil rushed to clarify.

"It was an accident!" She said defensively," We were fighting, and Cana tried to sneak past us and well, things got out of control. It all worked out for the best though, because when we got her to the hospital it turned out that Cana had some kind of disease and they were able to treat her before it really got started!"

"…was she in the hospital for treatment for a month or for what you guys did to her?"

"A-anyway the third time she competed she got food poisoning right before everything got started," Mira continued, ignoring the healer's question as she rambled on," She actually still managed to put up a good fight but got disqualified in the final round because she was throwing up so bad, she couldn't fight. The trials were canceled the year after that because of Lisanna, and her fourth try she made it all the way to the end but Erza tossed her off a cliff."

"Was she hurt?!" Wendy gasped.

"No, she was just really mad- Master had to fish her out of the ocean." The white-haired girl let out a small giggle at the memory," She looked like a drowned kitten and she was swearing like a sailor and insulting everything Erza stood for. She actually got strawberry cake banned from Magnolia for almost six months. Erza was devastated."

"Wow." Wendy commented for lack of anything else to say," But why does she get so upset? Even though she hasn't won yet doesn't mean that she won't."

"Sometimes things just aren't that simple Wendy." Mira said solemnly," Even though she's pretty much S-Class in everything but name, it still does a lot to her self-esteem."

"Oi Mira!" Somebody yelled from across the hall," Another round!"

"Coming right up!" She called back sweetly, hefting the tray with practiced ease," Don't worry Wendy- she always gets over it, this time isn't going to be any different. You'll see."

"Okay…" Wendy said uncertainly as she watched the older girl walk away.

What Mira was saying sounded reasonable. After all, she'd known Cana longer than she had- if she said that she would go back to normal, then she was probably right, but… why was there this feeling that was telling her there was more to it than that?

oOOOOo

Cana pulled the cork out of another bottle and took a long swig, the alcohol having long since lost its burn as it slid down her throat.

She surveyed her room with tired eyes- she almost couldn't even see the original floor under the carpet of empty bottles that littered the room.

She'd made it through her entire stock- so why was she still feeling like crap?

Oh yeah- tolerance and high-functioning alcoholism. Those pay-offs of her years of heavy drinking were coming back to bite her in the ass. She'd had enough to drain an entire bar and she was barely buzzed.

There were better ways to handle your issues than drinking, but it was way too late to change her coping methods now.

A knock at her door made the brunette blearily turn her head. At first, she was just going to ignore it, but then a familiar voice came from the other side.

"Cana? Its me, Wendy." The little dragon slayer said clearly," I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

If it was anyone else, she would've ignored them and lost absolutely no sleep over it (well maybe Levy was an exception to that- she was too cute to be mad at for long), but it was Wendy.

Wendy who was sweet and wonderful.

Wendy who was like her little sister.

Wendy who relied on her.

Wendy who looked at her like she was someone worth looking up to.

It would be a cold day in hell when she ignored Wendy.

Cana pulled herself to her feet, sending empty bottles rolling as she kicked them on her way to the door- the clinking of glass on glass reminded her of the ghost tree that Old Lady Rangiku had in her back yard.

She cracked the door open, immediately met with concerned brown eyes.

"Sorry I ran off on you like that Wendy." Cana said, remembering the way she'd abandoned the girl in the guildhall when the weight pressed down too hard," I'm okay though, you don't have to worry."

Wendy looked up at her with those eyes that seemed to see past all of her walls like they were made of glass. "No, you're not." The girl protested," Cana- you're always there when I need help. You listen to whatever I have to say, and you always give me good advice. But you're hurting." The dragon slayer looked pleadingly at her," You're always there to help me, please let me help you!"

"…well how can I say no to that?" Cana said with a sigh, even if she'd had any fight in her it would've died when faced with Wendy. She pulled the door open all the way. "Come on in kiddo." She said with a weak grin when Wendy brightened.

The girl seemed to ignore the bottles on the floor, focusing only on her big sister as she shut the door and took a seat next to her.

"Make yourself comfortable- this is a long story, and I'd like to take my time with it."

oOOOOo

Wendy couldn't believe it.

She stared at her sister with her eyes almost popping out of her skull and her jaw hanging open.

For her part Cana just smiled sadly at her," So, there it is. You are now officially the very first person I have ever told my secret to."

"Cana you have to tell him!" She blurted out before she could stop herself," Gildarts deserves to know and you deserve to be happy!"

The brunette shook her head," Its not that easy kiddo." She said, and oh how Wendy hated that look on her face- her sister was too strong to look so defeated," Maybe if I was as brave as you, I'd be able to do it, but I'm not."

"But Cana-!" Any other protest Wendy could have made were silenced by a loud rap on the door.

"Wendy? Are you in there child? Please come out it is after midnight!" Carla's prim and proper voice rang out sharply.

The brunette shrugged and pulled herself to her feet," Carla's got a point Wendy- go get some sleep, we can talk about this in the morning."

"But-!"

"No buts." She said firmly and softened. Cana wrapped her arms around the smaller girl in a tight hug," Thank you for listening kiddo, it felt nice to get this all off my chest."

Before Wendy could respond, Cana opened the door and pushed her out and into the hallway," Sorry I kept her so long Carla!" She said cheerfully, as though nothing had happened.

The white cat made a disapproving sound when she heard the clinking of the empty bottles," I trust you did not give Wendy anything?"

"Of course not." The brunette said in offense," One she's underage and two, nobody drinks my booze but me."

Carla rolled her eyes, but didn't comment further," Now to bed with you." She ordered her protesting charge as she herded her down the hall," Anything else can wait until tomorrow."

oOOOOo

Late that night Wendy laid awake.

Her mind too cluttered in thoughts to sleep.

Cana was the daughter of the guild's strongest wizard- but he didn't know.

Gildarts had no idea that he was standing in the same room as his daughter. Had no idea that he had watched his daughter grow up all these years. Or that she'd been tearing herself apart all these years because she just couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth.

' _Maybe if I was as brave as you, I'd be able to do it, but I'm not.'_

Wendy had never thought of herself as brave- if anything she was among the weaker members of the guild.

She always had to be protected from whatever monster they went up against- she was herded from safe place to safe place. She supported the brave people with her imbuement magic, she healed their wounds so they could keep on fighting. But she had never considered herself brave.

Cana was though.

Even before all this- Cana had never not been brave in her eyes.

She fought in the guildhall and never hesitated when the odds seemed to be stacked against her. She took jobs that had her fighting off whole dark guilds all by herself and she was the only person in Fairy Hills who could go down into the basement without batting an eye.

Not even _Erza_ could do that.

And now with all of this… it was difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning, but without fail she put on a smile and walked with her head held high. She didn't hesitate, she didn't show her pain- she faced the world that made her feel so sad every. Single. Day.

And Cana thought that _she_ \- the little healer who always needed to be protected by everyone- was the brave one.

Her big sister had been walking around with an open, festering, wound for twelve years- as a healer, Wendy could not allow this to stand.

It was time to follow her big sister's example and be brave.

oOOOOo

He seemed so much bigger up close. Like a mountain of muscles and magic power that was incredibly clumsy to boot.

But Wendy squared her shoulders and approached the intimidating man: she had to be brave like Cana.

"Excuse me, Mister Gildarts?" The giant of a man looked down at her in bemusement and she swallowed her nerves," I need to have a word with you. Alone."

Gildarts raised an eyebrow but nodded," Alright." He said as he stood up to follow her," Can I ask what this is about?"

Wendy shook her head," Not until we're alone." She said firmly," I promise to explain, but this isn't the kind of conversation that needs an audience."

The crash mage looked even more curious as the bluenette lead him to South Gate Park.

Once they were there Wendy faltered as she stared up at the strongest wizard in the guild. Was she doing the right thing?

"So, what's up?" Gildarts asked directly as he leaned back against a tree," You said you had something to tell me?"

"That's right." The dragon slayer latched onto this opportunity like a lifeline. It was now or never. "Cana is my friend Mister Gildarts and all I want is for her to be happy. Lately she hasn't been acting like herself, and last night she finally told me why. The reason she joined the guild was because she was trying to find you."

"What?" The man blurted out, honestly surprised. "Why would she do something like that?" And why was the kid telling him about it? He and Cana had spoken maybe ten words to each other in all the time that she'd been with the guild- why would she have joined the guild because of him?

The blue haired girl looked him in the eye," Because she's your daughter."

…what?

"She's your daughter."

Oh, he must have said that last out loud.

Wendy kept going, not waiting for Gildarts to catch up as she rushed to get the whole story out," Her mother told her about you Mister Gildarts, and when she died, Cana came here because she wanted to find you. She has been trying to tell you who she really was for years- and it's eating her alive! Mister Gildarts-" The bluenette felt tears build as her sister's hopeless face flashed through her mind," All she's ever wanted was your attention- she wants you to be proud of her and love her as your daughter. But she feels like you would be ashamed of her- that you would have preferred it if Natsu was your child instead of her- and- "

Wendy took a huge gulp of air as she tried to calm down enough to finish," And Mister Gildarts, Cana is so sad she can't get up in the morning. She feels like the whole guild would be better off if she wasn't here anymore and I had to do something! She _needs_ you Mister Gildarts!"

She finally chanced a look up at the mountain of a man- he was frozen in place. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was loose. This powerful man seemed so fragile right now a single push could have knocked him over.

"Mister Gildarts…?"

That seemed to trigger something as he reeled back, the tree he'd been leaning on exploding in a shower of cubes.

Wendy let out a shriek as she curled in on herself, arms above her head to protect her from the rubble. Once she was sure that it was over, she looked back at the man to see his face twisting into something utterly helpless.

"Mister Gildarts are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"I- I don't- "He stuttered.

The dragon slayer walked over and grabbed his hand," I'm sorry to spring this all on you." She said sincerely," Cana should have been the one, but… I-I just didn't know what else to do."

The man was silent for a moment, before he finally spoke up," Hey kid, do you...?" He trailed off, unable to finish his question, but Wendy understood loud and clear.

"She's probably still at Fairy Hills- she sleeps in on Saturdays." Wendy informed him and began tugging him along with her," Come on, I'll show you where it is."

oOOOOo

Cana let out a frustrated growl as she gathered up the bottles on her floor.

That stupid cat just had to tell Erza- why couldn't that stupid thing just mind her own business. Actually- why couldn't Erza just mind her own damn business? Its not like her room being messy was hurting anyone. Bisca's room made the entire first floor smell like a zoo but did she get punished?

A few loud knocks on her door had the card mage barely resisting the urge to chuck an explosive card under the door.

She wrenched the door open with more force then necessary, ready to tear into whoever it was on the other side, but she was left blinking in bemusement when she realized exactly who it was.

Wendy leaned onto the door frame panting heavily as though she'd just run a marathon.

"Wendy?" She asked in confusion and concern," Are you okay- "

"No time!" The bluenette blurted out, grabbing the older girl's hand and dragging her down the stairs," You can be mad at me later, but I had good intentions!"

"What- "The card mage shielded her eyes with her hand reflexively as Wendy dragged her out of the building and she got a face full of sunlight.

After a second of adjusting to the change in light, Cana pulled her hand down, intending to turn around and ask what was going on, but that intention died the second she saw who was standing outside Fairy Hills.

Gildarts stared at her like she was the only person in the world.

She didn't even need to ask any questions to understand exactly what had happened.

He knew the truth and Wendy had been the one to tell him. She had brought him here so that the two of them could talk.

Funny. She would've thought that she'd be mad to find out that someone else told him who she was, but out of the entire mess of emotion flooding through her, anger wasn't anywhere in it.

Her feet seemed to move on their own, taking her down the stairs and towards the man who shared half of her DNA.

Gildarts just stared at her with tears in his eyes and the second she was within reach he pulled her into one of the most incredible hugs she had ever received.

He held her tight to his chest, with her head over his heart. It was everything she'd ever dreamed it would be- safety and warmth coming together in a way that just made her feel loved.

It felt like they stayed that way for hours before Gildarts finally spoke, his voice gruff and tears sliding down his face. "I'm so sorry Cana."

"Don't be." She said, her voice muffled as she buried her face into his chest," I'm the one who kept it hidden."

"I'll never make you feel sad again." He swore as he tightened his hold on her," I'll stay by your side- whether its on a job or out at a bar. We'll always be together."

"That sounds like it might get a little annoying." She said with a hysterical giggle.

"I guess it does." He agreed with a grin," But it'll be true- I've got a lot of time to make up for and a lot of love I need to give. I'd like to start now if that's okay Sweetie."

"S-sounds good to me Dad."

Wendy smiled, tears of her own sliding down her face as she watched the father and daughter embrace.

She'd definitely done the right thing.

oOOOOo

Later that night Wendy was woken by a firm knock on her door.

Groggily she sat up, unsure if she'd actually heard it when it happened again.

"Who could that possibly be at this hour?" Carla asked in irritation as she was also woken up.

"I don't know Carla." Wendy answered as she walked over to the door, still half asleep. She opened it and saw Cana standing on the other side.

The brunette dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the surprised bluenette.

"Thanks kiddo." She whispered, and Wendy smiled and wrapped her own arms around her big sister.

"I was just trying to be brave like you." The girl said softly," You were always brave enough to do it, but fighting for years can make anybody tired. What are sisters for?

Cana smiled and pulled her closer.

Nothing else needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in one sitting which never happens, after watching the OVA where they settle the bet from the GMG (I think its OVA 6) and I squealed the whole time over the sister relationship between those two! And Cana always has that big sister energy with everyone, without being condescending. She can give her advice and tease without going overboard- I feel like that's something Wendy would appreciate, because yes, she's young, but that doesn't mean she isn't a capable mage. And I don't doubt for a second that Wendy would do exactly what I had her do in this chapter- this is the Wendy pre-Tenrou. She was pretty timid at first, and for her to hear her big sister say that she wishes that she was as brave as her? That means a lot to a kid her age.
> 
> I hope you liked this one! Please tell me what you thought!


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